The Divide
by NinjasUnite
Summary: Dominique Weasley enters her fifth year at Hogwarts unaware of a threat greater than Voldemort approaching- too bad the Weasley line just can't stay away from danger... NextGeneration Fic/PartOriginial/OC/
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: We do not own anything affiliated directly with Harry Potter

Prologue

It was a crisp summer evening in Diagon Alley. The streets crooked cobblestones leaving twisted shadows that tore across the light that shone dimly from shop windows as owners closed up for the night. The lamp lights sputtered and died as the wind picked up- leaving think smokey trails to reach up to the night roofs where something was waiting.

A dark sillouette hung over the "Magical Menagerie" where the grumpy shopkeeper swept up dust, oblivious to the looming danger that was almost directly over his head. After a couple minutes of grumbling and mumbling- the old man entered the shop for a final time as the lock gave a loud and rusted click.

Wasting almost no time at all- there was the softest rustle as the figure dropped to the ground. Standing up and walking forward with a nonchalance that can only be achieved by practice, the ominous character moved onward. The small lights that danced inside the different stores lining Diagon Alley were lightly and painlessly snuffed out as the form continued on the seemingly meaningless journey.

But all at once, there was a commotion and another shape was quickly darting across the street. Snapping to attention, the dark shape moved with a swiftness that could not have been reached within the confines of human speed. Within seconds, the character was moving from shadow to shadow, following the other shape with a deadly precision.

Then, without warning, there was a sliding of a ninjaken and the aura of mystery was broken by a slash and a thump as the second form seemed to merely trip and stumble upon the ground. There was a sickening crunch as something in the man's pockets was crushed underneath his body weight effortlessly. The standing silhouette took a quick glance at the ninjaken in their hands- examining briefly and with detachment the streak of red that ran across the flat blade.

Without an expression once crossing the assassin's face, they quickly bent down and wiped the life fluid on the dark cloak of the fallen man. Sheathing their ninjaken on their back, the figure took one last look of the shape which was slowly being consumed by a pool of blood and jumped up to the roofs to disappear into the night.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We do not own anything affiliated directly with Harry Potter

Chapter 1

"Dominique!" the sharp French accent cut across the tightly stretched eardrum of the fifteen-year old girl. Wincing slightly, her wide blue eyes opened groggily as she turned to look at the clock on her bedside table.

10:00am

Shooting up out of bed, Dominique Weasley almost tripped over her freshly washed laundry as she quasi-ran towards her dresser. Sorting quickly through clothing- she settled on an outfit and hastily made up her silvery blonde hair. It was mere moments before she was clumsily walking out of her door and downstairs.

A second head of angelic blonde was standing at the bottom of the stairs. A young woman in her early thirties, Fleur Weasley- although usually beautiful and composed was tapped her foot impatiently and wearing an irritated scowl on her face.

"Dominique" she said, her accent more evident than usual in her anger, " 'ow many times 'ave I told you to get up on time?", Dominique flinched as the mother continued to criticize her morning etiquette.

Eventually, Fleur stopped her tirade and ushered her daughter to the kitchen where two pieces of toast and bacon lay waiting. Quickly snatching up the food- it wasn't long until she was again moved to the living room. Unlike her grandmother's house- Shell Cottage's Floo Powder was housed in a small crystal bottle that sat innocently on the fireplace mantle.

Her older sister, Victoire was dressed in a clear blue summery dress which contrasted horribly with her scowl as the sixteen-year old tapped her foot, reminiscent of Fleur.

"Dominique!" she said grumpily, "I was going to meet Teddy 10 minutes ago. I cannot believe we are late" Dominique rolled her eyes and turned to her father who gave her the ghost of a smile. Bill Weasley's single earring and bright red hair completely stuck out from the lightly pastel colored room around them as he handed her the small crystal bottle. Smiling, she looked at the fireplace, already green from Louis's trip to Diagon Alley and threw the sparkling powder into the flames,

"Diagon Alley" she pronounced and was swept away in a swirl of ash. It was like flying through the center of a hurricane as she tightly shut her eyes so that she would not get sick. Within seconds her hand was being taken by someone and as she opened her eyes, Louis was smiling brightly at her. His shock of strawberry blonde hair was a welcome sight as he pulled her up and out of harms way as Victoire came hurtling through the flames, only to quickly pick herself up and walk off as if nothing had happened.

Louis and Dominique waited patiently as Bill and Fleur exited the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron,

"Victoire off to see Teddy then?" Bill asked Dominique as he wiped off some particularly avid ash off of his coat. She nodded succintly and he smiled. As Fleur took a minute to fuss over Louis and his ash covered clothes, Bill took Dominique by the shoulder and pulled something out of his pocket,

"I got something for you from my last trip to work with the dragons in some really deep down Gringotts vaults" her eyes lit up as Bill presented her with a bluish-greenish scale that reflected all colors of the visible light spectrum.

"Thanks Dad!" she took the scale and gave him a large and affectionate hug. They turned as Fleur was finished fussing over a rather annoyed Louis and all four of them headed to gather school supplies,

"So we need..." Fleur started and took out a slightly rumpled piece of parchment in which she listed off the items necessary for a fourth, fifth and sixth year student of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a minute in which Fleur named off book after potion ingredient, the small family was halfway down the winding streetways. As they rounded the corner of the Magical Menagerie- they came across a rather odd sight.

In broad daylight, there was a spectacle of Aurors all crowded around something on the ground. As was the natural way of events- behind them were reporters and bystanders, all hoping to get a glimpse of what the Aurors were so interested in. Bill stepped forward and turned to Fleur,

"Wait here for a second darling, I'm going to see what is going on" Fleur turned to gaze at her children but Dominique, not to be cut out of the action, immediately stepped forward,

"But dad, I want to see as well" Giving his child an affectionate pat on the head and a hug, he consented, and quickly overruled any sort of protest that Fleur had been giving.

Both father and daughter approached the crowd of Aurors and fought their way to the center where a man was bending over something on the ground. Bill tapped him on the shoulder and the person straightened up. Turning around swiftly, Dominique recognized her Uncle Harry's unruly black hair and signature emerald green eyes in a heartbeat.

"Uncle Harry" she cried, but before she could say anything more- Bill cut her off,

"What's going on here Harry?" the Boy-Who-Lived looked grim,

"I don't quite know Bill" he said seriously and pulled him aside, "There's been a murder but..."

"But what..?" Bill said,

"It wasn't done by any sort of spell or curse, it was... something different, something completely different than what we've ever seen before" Bill looked sideways at Dominique,

"Is it fine for Dominique to hear this?" he asked softly but Harry waved the thought aside,

"She'll find out anyways" he said gloomily, "That new reporter for the Prophet is relentless" Bill let out brief chuckle that was silenced as Harry pulled him and Dominique closer, "There was blood" he said softly, "More blood than any spell, except maybe Sectumsempra could generate" Dominique let out a shudder that although went unnoticed by Harry- was not by her father, who squeezed her shoulder briefly in comfort.

"Do you know anything?" Bill said softly, "Anything _we _should be aware of?" Harry seemed to think for a second before answering,

"Take your family home" he said quietly, "We still don't know how or why this was done because as far as we know- this wizard was completely innocent" Bill straightened and shook Harry's hand and clapped him on the shoulder,

"Good Luck" he said gruffly, "If you need any help, Fleur and I are always there for you" The Boy-Who-Lived smiled,

"Thanks Bill" before turning back to take control of the Aurors. Turning to Dominique, Bill began to speak,

"Tell your mother that she needs to take you and Louis home right away-I will locate Victoire and we will be home as soon as possible" Nodding her head shakily, Dominique turned to walk back to her mother, but her father stopped her again- "It'll be okay, Dom" he said softly and enveloped her in a hug, "I promise" she smiled,

"I hope so dad, I hope so"

The daughter and father split ways as Dominique walked towards the Veela family and Bill turned toward Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor to retrieve his eldest daughter. His dragon hide boots made loud thumps as he walked up the street and past the mob of reporters and aurors. His bright red hair made him the subject of many a "Hello" or "How are you doin?" but Bill ignored the salutations and moved toward the parlor. As Bill approached, he moved toward the snogging couple and uncomfortably coughed to get their attention. It took a second cough and awkward shuffling of his feet for Victoire and Teddy to break apart. His daughter's face was a deep red and she turned to fiddle with her dress as Teddy turned to see his psuedo-uncle looked awkwardly down at them,

"Hello there Uncle Bill" he said brightly and stood to shake the heavily calloused hand of the curse breaker. Bill shook the hand of the boy who was dating his daughter and turned to Victoire,

"We have to go" he said seriously to his daughter, "I don't know if either of you" he addressed Teddy, "have seen the aurors down the street- but I talked to Harry and it is a serious enough situation that it warranted him to tell me to leave Diagon Alley today" Both teen's faces had turned from adolescent guilt and happiness to a more mature perspective,

"So we are leaving now?" Victoire said quietly, her previously blotchy face now a natural pale. Bill nodded and made to leave immediately but was stopped by the ringing tone of Victoire's voice, so similar to his wife's.

"What about Teddy?" she asked, clinging to the muscled arm of her boyfriend,

"He can come with us" Bill said dismissively, "It's probably not safe for him either" He began to walk towards the Leaky Cauldron and was soon followed by both teenagers.

In no time at all- all three had flooed back to Shell Cottage and were enjoying a spinach casserole that Fleur had made for dinner.

The platform had been empty up until 10 o'clock on September 1st. The swells of parents and students had not really begun until the late morning which coincidently was when the Weasley family arrived. Their luggage was all neatly stacked on a trolley that Bill was driving as Fleur was lecturing Victoire on the nuances of being sixteen. Dominique and Louis were walking together behind their odd family and talking heatedly about a Wizarding Chess game the two had fought out last night and in which the ending was not properly determined.

"No, I took your knight on E6" Louis demanded, clapping his hands together for effect,

"Um, no" Dominique said sassily, "It was on E4, which was the only reason I could have taken your piece with my bishop- it's really quite simple" the two younger sibling's dialogue continued as they made their way to the train.

The shining red and black train was covered partly in smoke that left a light layer of condensation over the fresh paint. This only proved to raise the argument between Dominique and Louis as they drew diagrams and pictures on the train exterior. Finally the family stopped in front of the prefect compartment for Victoire to put her bags away. Bidding a hasty farewell to both her parents- the sixteen year old girl hopped on the train and within seconds, a flurry of girlish shrieks erupted within the train. Dominique turned to Louis, laughing slightly,

"Victoire and her popularity" she said, shaking her head back and forth, "I'll never understand how she doesn't kill them all, if not just for their laughter and excitment".

The family continued along the platform and eventually came across the Potters and the other part of the Weasley family. Hasty greetings and farewells were exchanged between the families as the other Weasley family containing Ronald, Hermione, Hugo and Rose were left free of children while the Potters had young Lily Luna to keep them company.

It was soon time for both younger siblings to leave and the goodbyes were said. Kisses and hugs were given and received by and from Dominique, and by Louis. It was 12pm within minutes and the train was off. Immediate relief hit Dominique as she felt the train pull off into the tunnel and out into the countryside. She turned to Louis,

"Well I'm off" she said warmly and hugged him before trudging off to find her friends. After looking through a couple apartments, Dominique found her four friends sitting comfortably in a right side compartment. Opening the door cautiously, she poked her head in to make sure it was, in fact, the correct people. A warm greeting later, Dominique found herself wrapped in a hug,

"Dom!" Irene Wilkin's voice was anything but the shrill sounds that Victoire's counterparts made upon her appearance. Dressed down in muggle clothing-Irene's slightly wavy black hair enveloped Dominique's face as she was squeezed. After Irene had sat down, Fred and Roxanne both came to hug her,

"Hey Cuz" Fred called while Roxanne went with a simple "Hey",

"How was everyone's summers?" Dominique asked and turned to look at the children of the infamous George Weasley, both children sported identical grins,

"Great" they chorused, although they could look less alike. The dark brown hair of Roxanne and the flaming red hair of Fred made the similarity of responses and facial expressions completely suprising at first but after knowing both siblings for almost their entire life- Dominique found it reassuring.

"We went to Rome" Roxanne said, "And we went to so many Quidditch games- I can barely remember who won what"

"Roxanne!" said Fred in mock shock, "How could possibly forget the games. I remember every single one, down to the play by play calls"

This began a riot between the siblings while Irene and Dominique began to discuss their own summers. Soon enough, the conversation moved to discussions about the upcoming school year and what it meant to finally be a 5th year. The topics ranged from prefect privledges to who the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher was (which none of them knew). In the middle of one of these conversations, the trolley lady turned up outside their compartment. The older lady offered them any number of treats which Dominique offered to purchase.

As she was standing outside the compartment and waiting for the candy to be collected, she noticed another figure waiting for candy as well. It was the silhouette of a girl around the same age as herself with dirty blonde hair. Thinking nothing of it, Dominique gave her thanks for the sugary snacks but as the other girl reached forward to get her own sugar fix, Dom noticed something was wrong.

She re-entered the compartment with the candy and said nothing to her friends as she contemplated what was so "off" about the girl as she munched on a licorice wand and chocolate frogs. Throughout the rest of the train ride, Dominique thought about this conundrum and as the last minutes muggle clothing came and they were all dressed in their trimmed robes, Dom realized. The girl was wearing a black cloak- without any color or distinguishing house symbols- at all.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: We do not own anything affiliated directly with Harry Potter

Chapter 2

The Great Hall was not a place where insignificant things occured. Whether it be the sorting of a new group of children or the announcement that a troll had entered the castle- nothing that is ever announced in the Great Hall is unimportant.

The Gryffindor table was full of many students, as years had been before, and before the ceremony was to begin- they were, in fact, the loudest and most disruptive table in the whole hall. This may have had something to do with the fact that both Roxanne and Fred were housed here with a large majority of Weasley and Potter descendants.

However, after a couple of minutes, the Headmistress rose and tapped her glass.

Silence Fell.

There was a stool sitting in the front of the large room with an old and tattered hat sitting upon it's seat. Although the ceiling of the Great Hall is and always will be a most intricate sight of the night or daytime sky- during the Sorting Ceremony, all attention is solely focused on an old piece of clothing as it opened its mouth to sing.

"Oh you may not think me pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

But Doom and Death lie in Wait,

Don't judge to harshly what you may hate,

There's more to see than just a face,

Sorting may misplace

Future and past mistakes that may take place

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

There was a murmur that flew around the Great Hall as the teachers and students all looked at each-other with renewed wariness.

Every child not currently in the small and frightened looking group of firstees was watching them avidly, attempting to place the small things into houses just by looking at them. Hagrid walked up to the stool with a sheet of parchment that touched the floor,

"A'Ihii, Joseph" he called out in a booming voice. A small and timid boy came out of the crowd with wide eyes. Hagrid gave him a smile and gently tossed him on the stool. Plopping the hat on the boy, which turned out to cover his torso, the hat took a short time before yelling out,

"HUFFELPUFF" The table all in yellow trimmed robes clapped politely as the boy slide off to join them.

The rest of the young children all seemed to relax as they realized all they had to do was try on a hat in order to determine who they would be friends with for the next 7 years of their lives. After some time, the names got down to the lower letters such as M, P and W,

"Malfoy, Scorpius" Hagrid boomed out, managing to not look intimidating as the minature version of Draco Malfoy walked up to the stool. The Sorting hat was barely on his head before it let out a resounding,

"SLYTHERIN" There was a smattering of applause as the blonde boy made his way to the table in green.

More names passed but than one name in particular came up. The son of the Boy-Who-Lived was called,

"Potter, Albus-Severus" Hagrid called out and ruffled the young boy's hair as he sat on the stool. There was a long pause where whispers were exchanged around the Hall as the Hat took around 10 seconds to consider Albus-Severus Potter. Finally, it roared,

"SLYTHERIN" There was a minute pause as there was an audible gasp from everyone at the Gryffindor table, a groan from James Potter and a couple hisses from the Slytherin table. The young boy trudged off miserably and the finally the last name was called,

"Weasley, Rose" The young girl that walked up alone to sit on the stool looked very much like a red-headed version of Hermione Granger. She sat as the hat was placed over her eyes and waited. It didn't take long for a "RAVENCLAW" to erupt from the Hat and as Rose blushed scarlet- the Ravenclaw table cheered loudly. Dominique smiled as she heard Victoire's woop above all of her studious counterparts.

As everyone turned to their plates and looked towards the Headmistriss for the words that would start the feast- they were disappointed. The older women stood in her emerald cloak to make an announcement,

"To our new students, Welcome and to our old students, Welcome back. This will be another great year at Hogwarts and not only because of our new students. This year, we have accepted a transfer student. All the way from Germany, Katarina Hakai, will be joining us for her 5th year and hopefully to continue on with the rest of her education here at Hogwarts. Please give her a warm welcome" There was a polite round of applause as students whispered at eachother and a girl walked out from one of the back rooms behind the staff table. She had dirty blonde hair with white tips and gleaming silver eyes. Her skin was a fair tone, something that one would expect from a German, and her cloak was entirely black.

It took Dominique a second to realize this was exactly whom she had seen on the train. The girl walked up to the stool and sat down quickly and let the sorting hat cover her face. There was a pause where everyone waited for the inevitable Ravenclaw. After all, one had to be at least slightly smart to be a transfer student.

However, the three-syllable word was not spoken as the silence stretched on throughout the hall as the Hat contemplated. At last, it called out

"GRYFFINDOR"

The red and gold table burst out in applause, accompanied by lots of cheers by the male population. Dominique rolled her eyes at her housemates antics but smiled and clapped nevertheless as the girl's plain black robes were changed to reflect a red trimming around the hood, sleeves and bottom.

Walking over towards them, Irene stood and directed the girl, Katarina, towards exactly where Dominique was sitting. She whispered in Dominique's ear,

"She's your new roommate, so I figure you guys should get to know eachother" She smiled and left Katarina to awkwardly sit next to Dominique, as she went to sit inbetween Fred and Roxanne.

Dominique turned her eyes to the odd girl sitting next to her. She barely heard McGonagall's announcements about the beginning of the year as she leaned over,

"I saw you on the train right?" The girl turned towards her and the odd coloring of her eyes seemed to draw Dominique in,

"I think so" she said coolly, seeming to examine her for a second before turning more fully towards her, the silvery eyes glinting curiously

"Whats your name again?" the voice, so biting before had lost its edge and was more melodic now,

"I'm Dominique Weasley, but you can call me Dom" Dom said awkwardly, "You're Katarina right?" The girl laughed,

"Call me Kat" said said kindly, "Since we're roommates, it's only natural to utilize nicknames, no?"

Dom nodded and looked across the row to Irene who gave her a wide smile but it seemed to falter as her eyes set on Kat,

"So" said Dom, ignoring the odd occurence and focusing more fully on Katarina, "Where did you say you were from?"

"I didn't" she said, "I'm from Germany" at this admission, her eyes suddenly became guarded and she turned to face the table. Roxanne was first to offer her greetings,

"Hi Kat" she said cheerfully, "I can call you that right? I think we're in the same dorm as well- so we'll get to be best friends" she gave a large smile that the new girl hesitantly gave back but examined her as well, the silvery eyes running up and down the body and seeming to turn away- as if nothing was important at all. Fred was second to offer his salutations,

"Good to meet you Kat" he said calmly, "That's my sister Roxanne and I'm Fred Weasley, hope you enjoy Hogwarts, I know I do"

She inclined her head slightly to acknowledge the greeting, letting to incandescent white tips brush the countertop, just as the food for the feast appeared. Shepards pie, steak and kidney pie, pumpkin juice, beef casserole, cornish pastries, yorkshire pudding, tripe and any number more of delectable dishes were suddenly within arms reach. There was a mad and slightly chaotic moment as every student that was in arms distance of an utensil lunged forward.

The Hall resonated with sounds of old friends exchanging greetings and new friends exchanging life stories as the clink and clatter of spoons and forks created a background chorus of metallic reverberation. Between all of the rings and chimes, Dominique turned to Katarina.

"So how was your summer?" she asked politely,

"Quite good" the exchange student answered just as politely, sipping pumpkin juice, "My sister and I visited Berlin"

"Oh!" Dominique said, "I visited Berlin a couple summers ago with my family as well. What did you do?"

"Well" Katarina said, drawing out the L longer than necessary, "We visited some family friends" Dominique nodded without thinking,

"How nice"

"What about you?" Katarina questioned, "Surely you did something interesting this summer as well?" Dominique nodded,

"Actually, my parents and I live in small cottage near the water- so we didn't really need to visit much any other places, but we did take several nice trips to more of the Inner City of London"

The conversation continued on as such throughout the dinner rather plainly, nothing really controversial occured and nothing particularly special happened except that the Yorkshire pudding was exceptionally good for this time of year.

Soon, the plates were cleaned off and the Headmistress McGonagall began to say goodnight to everyone and dismiss by year. The prefects were told to escort the younger years up to the dormitories. Before Irene left, she bent down and informed the group of friends that the password this year was "Pigfarts" before winking and leading the small and scrawny 11 year olds to their new home.

Abling up at a much slower pace, the older years took their time ascending the Grand Staircase. It wasn't until they reached the third floor of moving staircases that Dominique noticed Katarina's eyes widen and darting this way and that- although she was mapping out the entire castle as they walked at a slow pace.

It wasn't long until they reached the 7th floor doorway and walked to see the portrait of the fat lady dominate the end of the stone pathway. Dressed in her usual paisley frilly attire, the woman asked,

"Password?" Dominique answered,

"Pigfarts" The portrait nodded and swung inward to reveal someplace that almost all Gryffindors thought of as home. A warm fireplace dominated the room and the stone floors were covered in a carpet that had a large lion emblem splashed across the ground. Squashy couches and haphazardly placed tables were splayed across the room along with different portraits. Two more doorways were evident at the other side of the warm room that Dominique explained where the ways to get to both girl and boy dormitories.

The new quartet of girls-Roxanne, Irene, Dominique and Katarina- made their way up the narrow stairway to where there were a couple different doors that had the numbers 1-7 on them. The girls walked to the door with a 5 on it and entered.

The first impression that Dominique had on the room was that, like her 4th year room, it resembled the other rooms closely- a circular room with beds on various angles and a heater that gave the room a center. Dominique immediately spotted her red trunk with a stamped DW on the front and threw herself onto the bed. Warm and soft sheets enveloped her body and she sat up quickly.

Turning to Katarina, she began to explain some of the more subtle nuances of the way Hogwarts worked. She discussed the portrait passwords, the winding stairs, the one vanishing step, the dungeons and most importantly- the House Cup. Katarina took it all in but seemed especially kind after Irene and Roxanne left to say hello to some of the older girls.

"You know Dom" Katarina said thoughtfully at one point during the long discussion, in a completely different manner than she had used in the Great Hall, "You are one of the nicest people I have met here at Hogwarts. I'm really grateful that you took the time to introduce me to some of the odder concepts of this little school" Dominique smiled,

"Thanks Kat, you're one of the nicest listeners"

The two girls sat there for a second before some exceptionally shrill voices entered the room. Younger sisters of Victoire's friends possessed that same tolerance for especially high-pitched voices as both Katarina and Dominique winced unintentionally.

It was an hour or so later that all the girls in the 5th year room were in bed and huddled under blankets and turning off their lights. Dominique curled up in a ball underneath her fleece blanket and drifted off into sweet unobtrusive sleep.

Then a brief moment occured; she opened her eyes groggily for some unknown reason. There was a second where she heard a rustle, a very prominent rustle, and she began to attempt to brush the cobwebs from her mind. But as Dominique sat up and looked at the clock on her bedside table that read 2:00am- she turned to listen again for the odd noise. Sitting stock-still for a moment, she closed her eyes so that she could hear better.

Not even a whisper

Giving herself a little shake, Dominique lay back down, unable to dismiss the uneasy feeling in her gut, but forcing herself back to sleep. The soft blankets seemed especially scratchy as she lowered herself back into the mattress. Ignoring all the distraction, Dominique felt her heartbeat slowing and closed her eyes to fall back into dreams- the night's disturbance recorded as nothing more than a brief dream that she somehow remembered during the long night.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: We do not own anything affiliated directly with Harry Potter

Dominique woke up on September 2nd with a rather grumpy attitude and some lingering feeling of discomfort that she couldn't quite identify. The hair of the Half-Veela was slightly tousled as she stumbled to the bathroom to get made up and prepared for breakfast.

It wasn't long before she was ready to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She stopped by Katarina's bed briefly to see if she was awake and was slightly perplexed by the neatly made up sheets. Dominique turned to notice Kat walking out of the bathroom in daily clothing, drying her hair but failed to notice the brief flash of alarm that moved over Katarina's face at Dominique's closeness to her bed.

"Do you make your bed every morning?" Dominique inquired as Katarina drew nearer, "That's so dedicated. I couldn't do that if I tried"

Katarina laughed

"Most mornings, yeah" she said nonchalantly, "Just a habit, I suppose" Dominique smiled,

"Well hurry up, I'm starving" A few minutes later, Dominque was finished getting ready, Irene had popped in and the three girls headed down to breakfast.

Cornflakes and porridge awaited them at breakfast, Dominique was especially pleased to see orange juice and kippers present at the Gryffindor table. Wolfing down breakfast, Irene looked up the table to see Hagrid handing out schedules. She received her schedule first and excitedly read throughout the classes,

"Oh!" she squealed, "I got Arithmency, and all of those Muggle Classes I've been meaning to take!"

Dominique rolled her eyes and snatched the schedule to read,

Monday

Morning Period 1: Defence against the Dark Arts

Morning Period 2: Defence against the Dark Arts

Lunch

Afternoon Period 1: Muggle Studies

Afternoon Period 2: Muggle Art

"You can't have gotten all of them" she said, laughing, "That's all your core classes and like 4 electives- you'll be working nonstop" It was Irene this time that laughed,

"And what's wrong with that?" she questioned and laughed as Dominique started to laugh.

Soon Hagrid moved around the table to where Dominique and Katarina were sitting across from Irene. Dominique excitedly took her schedule and read across the top:

Monday

Morning Period 1: Defence against the Dark Arts

Morning Period 2: Defence against the Dark Arts

Lunch

Afternoon Period 1: Ancient Runes

Afternoon Period 2: Advanced Potions (5th year)

She smiled brightly and turned to Katarina, eager to see what classes her new friend had for the first day of the week- exchanging schedules, Dominique took a closer look at the classes

Monday

Morning Period 1: Defence against the Dark Arts

Morning Period 2: Defence against the Dark Arts

Lunch

Afternoon Period 1: Ancient Runes

Afternoon Period 2: Advanced Potions (5th year)

Cocking her head slightly, Dominique studied the schedule and doublechecked the name on the front cover

Katarina Hakai -Exchange Student-

She turned to Katarina,

"We have the same classes" she repeated, feeling silly for a moment as she stated the obvious. The other girl smiled and nodded,

"It would appear so" she said matter-of-factly. Dominique turned across the table to Irene's schedule, her face fell

"Aw Irene! I think we only have this one class on Monday together, Defence" Irene' smile fell a bit but she rebounded,

"At least it's a double period" she said cheerfully and Dominique shrugged,

"I suppose so" and with that, breakfast completed itself and the three friends headed off to their first class of the day.

They walked up many of the moving stairways until they eventually found themselves at the door of Classroom 3C. The door was an old wood and it squeaked as Dominique pushed it open to come face to face with the professor.

A young man in his late twenties was in the process of opening the door. He had light skin and a tannish blonde hair that was strewn across his face as he prepared for his first class of the day. His robes were a plain black and he wore practical pants and clothing. He looked down to stare at the three students,

"Er, hello" he said awkwardly as he precariously held onto the stack of parchment in his hands,

"Hi" Dominique was the first to speak, "You must be the new Defence teacher, I'm Dominique Weasley, nice to meet you" and she held out her hand. The professor stared at it for a second before taking it lightly,

"Hi, are you Ron's daughter?" he inquired, she laughed,

"No, of course not, I'm Bill's daughter" he smiled

"It's very good to meet anyone who is a relative of Harry Potter, I was his prodigy once upon a time" his eyes darkened for a split second as he let his eyes rove the other two girls, "And you two young ladies are...?" he asked,

"I'm Irene Wilkins" Irene said and held out her hand as well, "It's a pleasure to meet you sir" she continued politely, "I can't wait to start class"

He turned lastly to Katarina. It was only a brief second, a moment that seemed nonexistant in the moments that passed but in that one second- the professor's eyes sharpened and his handling of the parchment became seemingly unbalanced. He took a deep breathe and smoothed out his face- but the kindness that he had shown the other two girls was not present in his barely inclined head,

"It's good to meet you as well" Katarina bit out, "I'm Katarina Hakai" but she neglected to hold out either one of her hands. He seemed inclined to not greet her by handshake either. The shaky silence that followed was brought to a halt by the appearance of more students of the 5th year that entered the hallway.

The Professor cleared his throat and stepped aside so that all the students could enter the classroom. Dominique immediately made a beeline towards the front of the room and dragged both Irene and Katarina with her.

"Do we have to...?" Katarina let the question hang but Dominique was not to be dissuaded as she moved in a single-mindset to the front of classroom. Giving in, the other two girls let themselves be dragged up to sit in the first middle seat.

Light and insignificant conversation was scattered among the classroom as everyone waited for the Professor to return and begin the lesson. At last, they all heard the footfalls approach and the door slam as the man walked up to the front of the classroom.

"Hello everyone" he said, "I am Professor Edmund, your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. This year" he began to pace the front of the room,

"We will not only be learning about the spells and curses that you all may use against one another in the classroom, in the practice room for your OWLs or to dark wizards. This year, we will be learning about dark magical creatures. This topic, I assume, has not really been broached by Hogwarts as thoroughly as it should be. I, as a retired Auror have a large well of knowledge that I will enable you to benefit from. One of my previous specialties included the control and prosecution of Dark Magical Creatures, because of this- I believe it is not only mildly, but crucially important for all of you to have a strong grasp on what these animals have done, accomplished and are capable of doing to you"

There was a short pause as the he let the class digest this information before continuing,

"We'll be starting with some of the smaller creatures like Grindylows and from there moving onto harder creatures based on the Ministry's rating system. We will also be learning the spells necessary for your OWL tests throughout the year which may or may not be useful in protecting against it"

There was wide eyes across the young classroom now as all the students had different perceptions of what could happen on Monday mornings. The Professor was about to continue his speech when a hand shot up right in front of his face.

It was Irene.

The girl sitting next to Dominique was determinedly raising her hand, choosing to ignore the sighs coming from around the classroom and the look of annoyance coming from Katarina. But the Professor still called on her,

"Yes Irene?" he said politely, she took a deep breathe,

"Well I was wondering Professor... What sort of spells are we going to learn, and what type of essays might we be assigned to write. I mean, I really would want to know about all of the upcoming work and the average parchment lenght for the general essay and the amount of lecture notes that might be required. Will we need to do extra research and if so how much? Will any sort of history be required? And finally" she said, "How is this helping us prepare for our OWLs?" the class heaved a sigh as the Professor stood there for a second, debating on the answer he was going to give,

"Well Irene, and in this, I speak to the whole class- spells will be taught in the order that I deem necessary and essays will vary. I can't really give you a straight answer about upcoming work and parchment lenghts. My lectures will be around 45 minutes per class and there will generally not need to be extra research unless I mention it in class. That goes for history as well. For the OWLs, this class is not for the specific purpose of preparing you for some test that has to solely do with a practical and a theoretical aspect of this subject. This class, as far as I'm concerned-and I should know about it the most, as I not only participated in a NEWT level class but also became an Auror- is about knowing how to protect yourself from harm and a general concern that involves your protection is the defense against dark magical creatures. Now" he finished, "Does that answer your question?"

She did look a little abashed,

"Yes Professor" she mumbled.

"Now" he said, rubbing his hands together, "Lets begin your first class"

At around halfway through the class, the Professor informed them all that for spell practice- they would need to be partnered up.

Dominique turned to Katarina,

"You don't know anyone else right?" she asked,

"Not really" Katarina said,

"I'll be your partner" Dominique offered, smiling as Katarina nodded, and turned to grab something out of her bag, only to come face to face with Irene who wore a disgusted look on her face that can only be compared to the look someone must wear when confronted with an especially nasty old pair of socks.

She gulped and turned back to Katarina made a motion to get the hell out of that seat.

After around 2 hours of note taking and a small session of spell practice that they were to continue for homework, Defense Against the Dark Arts was over.

The group of friends moved towards the Great Hall for lunch. The walk back was surprisingly quick and in no time at all, they were there. Lunch was some remnants of breakfast and the classic sandwiches for lunch. As Dominique was buttering her ham and brie sandwich- she looked up to see the owls for the Daily Prophet begin to sweep into the Hall from above,

"That's odd" she commented, turning back to her bread,

"How so?" Katarina asked, already preparing the condiments on her own food,

"Well" Dominique started, "The Daily Prophet owls usually arrive during breakfast, so I think it must be safe to assume that something slightly odd and maybe a bit mysterious must have happened right before the post was sent out which delayed it" Katarina nodded,

"Seems reasonable" and both went back to their food, not really interested in the day's events.

Out of the corner of her eye, Dominique saw Victoire receive the post at the Ravenclaw table and open it eagerly. Not really paying attention, it didn't occur to Dominique to look up until she felt someone tugging on her hair.

"Irene" she said annoyed, "Stop that" but it in fact was Victoire, her eyes were wide,

"Did you read the Prophet?" she said quickly, Dominique opened her mouth about to make a response but Victoire cut her off,

"Wait, of course you haven't- you don't get the Prophet" and rolled her eyes, "Anyways, you simply must read about this"

Dominique took the Prophet from a clearly excited Victoire and began to read...

_Mysterious Killer Strikes Again_

_By Dennis Creevy_

_Late last night among the dark streets of some of the Wizarding World's most populated places- the killer from this summer is believed to have made yet another notch in his death toll. _

_Adam Fradou, an innocent walker in the early hours spotted another body drenched in blood and with yet another unnamed magical object crunched underneath them. _

_Harry Potter, Head of the Auror Office, whom declined to give comments during the summer murder has stepped forward to help the Daily Prophet give a more extensive understanding of the killings_

_"Well Dennis" he said to me this morning, _

_"We don't have a concrete idea of what is doing this but we can safely assume that caution is the best measure anyone, experienced Aurors, parents and school children alike can take right now. We definitely can NOT believe that whatever is killing these wizards can be taken. Until we have done more analysis and research- do not attempt to confront this creature" _

_I did ask Mr. Potter how they were going to do more research but he failed to give any satisfactory answer so can we assume that more murders will be a method? _

_I think so. _

_At these words, I recall the Second War from nearly 19 years ago when many good people died, including my brother, because of a lack of safety. _

_Just because there is no longer a Dark Lord extending his rule over the Wizarding World does not mean that one should assume that we are safe- for all we know... we may not be._

_Readers- Be wary and cautious and above all, keep a head about yourselves when out at night in London. The Ministry and the Daily Prophet are currently working on the production of a pamphlet meant to educate the general populace on safe measures one can take. It will be distributed to every residence via owl._

_-DC_

Dominique looked up from the article with wide eyes

"Bloody hell" she exclaimed, "We'd best watch our backs then" Victoire nodded seriously,

"Definitely" she said and stood up straighter "Anyways, I have to go- but I'll write dad to see if he knows anything and be sure to tell you" Dominique looked up gratefully,

"Thanks _ma soeur_" she said and turned back to the table,

"Did you guys hear?" she exclaimed,

Irene looked frightened while Roxanne and Fred looked rather excited. She turned to look at Katarina who was not really paying attention. Eating a piece of her sandwich, she turned- a piece of lettuce halfway in her mouth and asked,

"What on earth are you looking at?" Dominique's eyes got bigger,

"Aren't you worried about the killer?" Katarina shrugged,

"We're at Hogwarts, aren't we? The safest place in the Magical World- I don't think the killer could possibly be here" Dominique contemplated for a moment-

"True" she said slowly and looked a bit more cheerful, "We are pretty safe"

The girls finished breakfast with exciting conversations about the killer while Katarina had little to no participation in it.

Soon after, they moved- Irene to Muggle Studies while Katarina and Dominque left to find the Ancient Runes Classroom.

At last, they located Classroom 6B. Sitting again in a front seat, Dominique began to ruffle through her bookbag and located the 3 books that were necessary for the class. _Ancient Runes Made Easy, Spellman's Syllabary, _and _Magical Hieroglyphics and Logograms_ lay haphazardly on top of one another, each bookmarked and noted extensively. Katarina looked at the pile of books questionably,

"We need that many books?" she asked,

"Yeah" Dominique looked pleased, "It's almost always necessary for us to look up the runes unless you really know them well when we translate" the other girl nodded and looked around as the classroom filled in.

"Where are all the other Gryffindors?" Katarina inquired,

"Oh we're the only ones- it was only me last year- but not this year" she smiled and waited patiently for Professor Babbling to enter the room. The older woman entered the classroom at 5 minutes to opening time. She walked up to the front and turned to face the class.

"Welcome" she said, opening her arms out towards the class, "Most of you look familiar except for" and she waited as she scanned the room until her eyes fell on Katarina, "you"

"Who are you?" her large eyes were wide,

"I'm Katarina" the exchange student said and the older women clapped her hands together in delight

"I can't wait to see your runic translation abilities- it will be excellent to have a basis to work off of that isn't already pre-determined by my previous years of teaching" the Professor smiled and moved closer to the blackboard,

"All of you except for Katarina here know my teaching methods. I'm a pretty straightforward teacher, no funny business goes on in my classroom under any circumstances. I know last year we pretty much stuck with some of the similarities between the archaic Greek and German alphabets and Futhark and Proto-Germanic runes and how to translate basic words and the structure of simple to compound sentences. This year, we will be focusing more on complex sentences, complex forms, irregular translations, and on using runes in your spellwork. Sound good?"

There was a chorus of agreement as the teacher turned back to the board and flipped it to the other side. It was full of writing from top to bottom with runes, translations and arrows that pointed in all different directions, Professor Babbling smiled,

"Then let's get started"

The class was pretty much copying down syllables and translations to memorize for homework. It nearly half the class to copy down and understand exactly what the slightly crazy professor had written down for her students to comprehend.

But finally at around the halfway point of the class- the professor began to speak again

"That's enough copying for today" which caused the students to look warily at eachother's notes to see who had the better writing or translation abilities for this year. As Dominique peered over Katarina's notes, her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.

There was barely any English on the page at all. Runes that she could barely recognize and longer words with misconstructed syllables without spaces that they definitely had not learned yet were strewn across the page. She looked up at Katarina who was wearing an all too innocent look on her face,

"How did you...?" she stuttered,

"What do you mean?" Katarina said sweetly, "It's just what was on the board" Dominque put her hands on her waist,

"It is definitely not what was on the board" and gestured to her own notes. They were full of stratching and stray marking that made the page readable but not quite as neat as Katarinas. The girl, Katarina gave a shrug,

"I suppose I could just have more experience with runes" Dominique threw her hand up in the air,

"We'll figure this out later" she said, "Or we'll figure this out when I copy my words over from your notes later tonight" Katarina laughed,

"Alright- if you insist"

They spent the rest of class slowly reviewing what they should have learned for the past 2 years and an idea of what they were learning the next year.

"You know" Katarina remarked as they left, "You should stop looking at it like Arithmency and more like a language- I mean, we didn't even talk about the different cultures that runes can be used as speech in"

Dominique gave her an odd look,

"There aren't any cultures that use runes as a common language. I recall almost perfectly the moment where Professor Babbling mentioned that to us in third year because she compared it to Latin"

Katarina scratched behind her ear awkwardly, "Well.. my old teacher told me something about cultures using it, but you know, he was super old- so he probably is a tad bit off in the head"

Dominique laughed,

"I would hope so"

...and they continued on to the next class.

That class was Advanced Potions for 5th years.

"What exactly is Advanced Potions?" Katarina asked with interest, "It can't be that much more advanced than normal Potions" Dominique shrugged,

"I'll be Merlin if I know- I was just placed here after getting outstanding marks in the class last year- but who knows, maybe I was the only person with them"

They continued to proceed down to the dungeons, and Dominique spoke,

"But I do know the Professor, I've had him for the past 4 years. He's a bit of a curmudgeon but overall, a fair grader if a bit biased towards the Slytherins during class"

Katarina nodded her assent and they finally reached the classroom.

Both girls pulled open the door to reveal seats for about 5 people in a circle with cauldrons in front of all of them. Dominique stood for a moment before taking the seat directly in front of her. Katarina sat next to her and soon- the other 3 students had arrived.

Terrence Macey and Laura Eppin from Ravenclaw, with Philip Zabini from Slytherin all entered the classroom with equally suprised expressions upon finding that there was in fact, two Gryffindors in the classroom. Dominique was fair friends with Laura and knew of Terrence so a brief conversation took place before class but before any real information could be shared, the door opened to reveal the Professor.

Unlike most potions masters, the Professor had slightly short and light brown hair and freckles which almost completely obscured his face. He turned to face the students,

"Hello" he said bitingly, "I'm glad to welcome you all to Advanced Potions Class"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: We do not own anything affiliated w/ Harry Potter

TIME SKIP [ day before HALLOWEEN]

Irene

It was October 30th and Irene Wilkins was freezing. The cold weather that was usually occurred in late November had made its way to Hogwarts early this year. The smaller plants outside withered and died with the new season's approach and Irene could not help but watch from her solitary vantage point in the owlery.

The remains of the cycles of lively green vitality lacked any resemblance to the original sparks of life that had sprouted from the ground the previous spring. Similarly, the black hair that framed her face lay flat but shook slightly as she gave the smallest shiver. A gust of wind led the small girl to hug her knees closer as she reflected on what had happened in the past 2 months...

The introduction of Katarina to Irene's life had led to nothing but isolation and a misinterpretation of facts. Not only were lunches now spent alone in the library, but Irene knew, for a fact, that something was wrong with Katarina Hakai. If lower grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts were any indicator, the quickly progressing relationship between Katarina and Dominique was a red flag among a sea of black.

Signs of something off had been evident from the beginning, the manner in which Katarina had both situated herself and placed herself directly in the line of her friendship with Dominique were both, in Irene's opinion- anything but a coincidence. It was difficult even to not blame Dominique as well. After all, a friendship is a product of two people and therefore each of them must have a stake in the relationship.

It sickened her to know that the two girls had hit it off so quickly and that despite her best advances, she was not privy to secrets that they had somehow developed in a period of less than a year. The final straw was the rejected invitation to Proffessor Rimmell's Halloween Party. Her kind words had been ignored and sneered at as the proffessor had asked if she could discuss "la pluie et du beau temps" with the other Advanced Potions students. Of course not. What sort of potions class discussed anything other than potions.

The potions classroom was alight with colors. It was the day before Halloween and in honor of All Hallows Eve (and the fact that they didn't have the class tomorrow) the Professor had decided that they would be creating Tempete Potion.

Dominique rolled her eyes as she stirred the bright orange potion back and forth in a clockwise manner. It was likely that the only reason the potion was picked was because of it's particularly bright color. It was a decently complicated potion with ingredients ranging from an eye of newt and even to a mandrake root. Across the table, Katarina was vigourously sprinkling some unidentifiable substance in her cauldron. Dominique dismissed it- Katarina was always doing something off the books that seemed to boost her grade to an O.

"What are you adding this time" came the ghost of a voice flitting across the classroom. Laura Eppin emerged from behind a steam filled potion with puffed up hair and a laugh,

"Oh nothing really" Katarina said with a slightly insane titter, "Something of my own concoction- I figure it should work"

"Of course it'll work" Terrence interrupted, rolling his eyes- "Your theories and ideas seem to carry some substance"

"Always carry substance" Dominique added, "You're a bloody genius" she commented to Katarina. The pair laughed and got back to work.

It was a long period unfortunetly, so Professor Blackwell felt the need to assign potions of a certain...vigor. Dominique shook her head as she glanced down at her watch and saw the period only half-spent. She looked at her potion again- sighing as she saw the tell-tale signs of a burned cauldron approaching. The burns on the side of the cauldron were a large reminder to not allow the potion to overheat.

She looked around the small dungeon and the people working. Katarina was painstakingly adding drop after drop of a green fairy blood to her potion, Terrence was simply stirring, Laura wasn't at her station-but probably in the storage room, and Philip was whistling a jaunty tune as he added fairy wings to his bubbling concoction.

As the quintet worked on their potions, the door from the private quarters of Proffessor Blackwell was burst open. Black smoke poured out as the Professor stepped out with a flourish.

"Sorry all" he said, brushing down his robes, "Just some explosive experiments" Wide eyes from around the room turned back to potions,

"Wait wait" he said impatiently, "I wasn't finished yet" they all turned back, Dominque heaving a sigh.

"Tonight I am having a small get-together for me and my best students. Because you all are in advanced potions and I do assign you the oddest and most complex potions I can find- I would definitely count you among them. It will be at 8:00pm, so please dress accordingly. You can all stop your potions now, the Tempete potion does take at least a week to complete anyways, so bottle up your concoctions and don't be late"

As Katarina and Dominique packed to go to lunch- Dominique turned to face her friend,

"What do you think of the party?" she said in an undertone,

"It seems interesting" Katarina said evasively, "I do hope it's academic", she looked at Dominique in the eye as Dominique responded

"It will be"

The day flew by, and soon it was time for dinner the Great Hall. As usual, Dominique and Katarina made their way down to the hall at around 5:45pm. Both girls sported semi-formal robes, as they planned to simply transition from dinner to the social event. As they reached the large doors, Dominique stepped forward and opened the doors,

"Thanks" Katarina said as they glided through to their seats at the Gryffindor table. Sitting down simultaneously- the two girls flourished their semi-formal robes and turned to the food. Pumpkin juice and sheperds pie adorned Dominique's plate as she wolfed down the sustenence. As she looked around, she realized that there were, in fact, many different changes in seating and in interaction than there had been previously.

From day one, Katarina had become more of a presence in their small familial group. Fred, Roxxane, Dominique, Katarina, Victoire and Teddy all sat at the top of the table. Even though both Victoire and Teddy were Ravenclaw Prefects, it didn't stop them from sitting with the tightly bound group. Generally, Katarina talked more with Victoire these days- supposedly, she enjoyed being acquainted with Dominique's older sister. Fred, Roxxane and Dominique generally talked together about family matters while Teddy simply fixated on Victoire and completely ignored the conversations that circled him.

Today, the discussion pool was quite lively. Katarina was in cahoots with Victoire concerning classes and Weasley drama. Victoire seemed set on informing Katarina on all of the small nuances of being a friend of the Weasley's which included family arguments, marriages and deaths. Every once in a while, Dominique would look over and laugh quietly at the intently discussing pair and turn back to her talks of quidditch and classes with the twins.

As Katarina reached for the pumpkin juice, she turned away from Victoire for a split second just as she was saying,

"Merlin's pants, and that Irene, that bloody prat-" and turned to Dominique

"Would you like some?" she offered politely to Dominique who nodded her acquiescence and watched silently as the goblet filled up with liquid.

The discussion continued on and soon, dinner was over. The food disappeared from plates as the sextet stood and moved on the way. Fred and Roxanne bade farewell to the grouping and headed to the common room to talk while Teddy and Victoire shared a passionate look and quickly wandered off to the first corridor that they could find. And Katarina and Dominique were left to their devices.

They meandered down to the dungeons to the party. It was a long journey throughout the dark hallways, but soon, the two Gryffindor girls were at the door to the potions classroom. They shared a look before Katarina opened the door and the two entered. Their first thoughts were those of shock.

Professor Blackwell had really outdone himself. The cauldrons and benches were gone and all that existed in the middle of the classroom were some comfortable chaises and a coffee table made of thick mahogany. The walls were covered in a rich green cloth and chandeliers hung from the ceilings decorated in spiderwebs. The floor was clean and refreshments were to be found on an adjacent table covered in black velvet.

Dominique stepped forward first into the light of the first chandelier. Her robes were black but were lined in a gorgeous aqua coloring and she wore her hair pinned to the side in an elaborate updo. Terrence, Philip and some other guy she didn't know immediately snapped to attention as she wandered in. Ignoring the Veela Effect, she turned her gaze back to Katarina and walked with her to the refreshments table. She grabbed a small plate and a goblet and took her choices of hors d'oeuvres and moved to the collection of people sitting at the chairs.

She sat down in the chair gracefully and set down her food on the table.

"Hello Professor Blackwell" she said politely as she waited for Katarina to sit and for her to offer the same greeting. The professor smiled benignly,

"Good Evening Girls" he said kindly, "You both look very nice- you know everyone here I think, Philip, Terrence, Laura, and Philip's friend"

"I don't think I know your friend, Philip" Katarina said, the Slytherin smirked,

"This is Augustus Crinchlow" he said, "And I think he can introduce himself" The tall boy sat up straight and smiled, revealing very pointed teeth and a smug grin.

"Hello. Pleased to make your acquaintance. As Philip said, I'm Augustus, Augustus Crinchlow" his dark hair was gelled back in a distinctively pompous fashion and as Dominique glanced over at the exchange, she could immediately tell that Katarina did not like him. From his fashionable shoes to the cockiness of the his collar- he was a pompous arse. The way in which he was speaking to Katarina didn't help either, the condescending tone and upturned nose set her eyes in a narrowing trend and Dominique could glance down and see her hands gathering up bunches of her robes in a white knuckled grip. Interfering quickly, Dominique turned to Augustus,

"Hello" she addressed him, "I'm Dominque Weasley" he looked at her with a slanted eyebrow,

"Oh" he said in a derogatory tone, "I didn't know that Weasley's came in a different shade than red, obtrusive and socially inept" Dominique rolled her eyes,

"I didn't know that there were any Slytherins whom went by the name Augustus and could walk around school with their head held high" The Slytherin inclined his head to her,

"I'm willing to take that in stride" he said smoothly, "A Weasley with wit is one with which I can associate with" Dominique let out an exasperated sigh and turned back to Professor Blackwell, who was observing the pair with barely concealed amusement,

"If you two are done exchanging insults, I was about to tell Dominique and Katarina about our discussion" he addressed the newcomers, "We were discussing some of the new ideas that modern potionners are coming forward with about the vulnerability of certain magical creatures and their correlation to potions"

"Generally Light creatures" Laura cut in, letting out a small smile and a shrug when Professor Blackwell turned,

"Anyways" he said with exaggerated impatience, "We were talked about Centaurs before you two entered and Philip here was just informing us on some traits these creatures seem to possess"

Philip cleared his throat,

"Yes, I was just speaking of their amazing ability to disregard certain potions with Mallowsweet or Sage applied in the making of the potions. Which is most likely a fair number. Even some of the benign potions that we as wizards employ cannot be used to heal Centaurs because of their thick hide and resistant blood"

"I heard" Terrence continued, "that Centaurs have hide that is as thick, if not thicker than Giants- which would mean that they might be immune to more than just potions, spells and charms are other things that they need to pay no worry to"

"Well that's very interesting and all- but what about Darker Creatures. We wouldn't need to use defensive potions or spells against creatures that we are joined with. Darker creatures such as Grindylows. We don't have any information as of yet that aid us in determining what to and not to use against them" Augustus said,

"I know that a Stunning Spell won't stun them, but will knock them out of sorts for a moment so that you can get away" Dominique said, venturing a guess,

"No" Katarina said, "Grindylows are pretty harmless in the long run, I would think that other creatures would need more attention"

"Darker ones?" Terrence said,

"Of course" Augustus interrupted, "What else could she be talking about?"

"If I could be allowed to finish" Katarina interrupted coolly, "I would have said Lighter and more commonly seen creatures. Darker creatures aren't really the focus of this conversation, or at least, I wasn't aware that they were"

Augustus rolled his eyes,

"Shouldn't they be? We need to know how to defend, if not control these creatures. What about vampires or dementors? As far as I know, there isn't much information except for wards and a Patronus charm"

"There are some charms that work for vampires" the Professor said lightly, "I wouldn't speak of them here, but they are very damaging to both the vampire, the caster and the surrounding. It's best if we just put this out of mind"

"This is outrageous" Augustus demanded, "I don't know of many" - Here, Philip snorted- "Dark Creatures but my father once told me of one, he never told me what it was called, he said it was too dark to mention. But he did tell me that they were almost like creatures from hell, but they possess human form"

"And what?" Dominique cut him off mockingly, "With red eyes and bat wings? Do they breathe fire like a dragon? What are you talking out- some monster out of a fairy tale?"

"Oh please. I'm not so petty" Augustus said viciously, "They exist and as far as I know, if I ever met one- I'd be completely defenseless. We need to have defense and control for these sort of violent creatures"

"You say they are violent?" Philip said, "Did your father give you that impression. From what you've said and Dominiques.. helpful commentary, I would assume they would take refuge somewhere away from society and not bother to take part in it"

"But that's unimportant" Augustus said, waving away Philip's observation, "What the most frightening thing about them, to me at least, is that they can take on human characteristics. They could interact with our society, perhaps even blend in with us- and we'd never know the difference"

"What sort of human characterstics are you talking about though?" Laura said, "For all your know, they could have fingers and toes but have massively deformed faces- how would that fit in with our society? Fingers and toes are human characteristics are they not?"

"Yes" Augustus said, "but I'm thinking they are more obvious"

"And what" Dominique said sarcastically, "Do you base that opinion on- what your father didn't say? You sound like a bloody idiot, that's what you sound like. These "creatures" probably don't even exist"

"Think what you'd like" Augustus warned, "But I know different"

"Now children" Professor Blackwell said, "These creatures are probably not something that would be effected by potions or spells. According to all of your discussion on the matter, I would conclude that these characteristics and this whole topic has no place at this school and that we should most likely discuss a new topic." While Augustus pouted, Katarina began to speak,

"What do you all think of owls?" which sparked a whole new debate about their magical abilities and the connection with distance and time spells. The talks turned to unicorns and creatures a higher caliber in the Professor's eye- but soon it was time to head up to the dormitories. The Proffesor bade goodbye to Laura and Terrence who plead back to their dormitories early, saying they had various things to study for- which left the two Slytherins and the two Gryffindors sitting in the dimly lit facility.

Dominique turned to Katarina,

"You ready?" she asked,

"Just a second" Katarina said vaguely, "I just want to sit here a moment longer. This chair is rather comfortable" Dominique gave a smile and turned back to the two Slytherin boys who were in the midst of some argument in undertones.

As they realized she was staring at them, Philip cleared his throat and set his face in an icy smile,

"Yes" he said, clearly irritated at being interrupted, Dominique gave a sacharine smile,

"Oh nothing, What are you lot talking about?" Augustus gave her a stare,

"You know exactly what?" Dominique uncrossed her legs with another sigh,

"Those creatures... again?" Augustus leaned forward, the shadows previously covering his face all retreated and left his face completely covered in lamplight very tight and very close to Dominique,

"They're evil, I'm telling you. Even if you don't believe me, they're out there" he whispered,

"Get away from me" she exclaimed in disgust and stood, "If you're going to play your little power games down here, at least don't involve them with academic discussion- it's revolting the way you attempt and create these creatures out of one thing your father said. I'm leaving. Coming Katarina?" But as she turned to look at where Katarina had been sitting- the silver eyes were at her side and glaring down at the form of Augustus. His eyes darted from the Veela to the girl he had yet to meet but now harbored some unknown hatred towards him and leaned back in his chair,

"Fine, your own deaths then"

With a humph, Dominique twirled around and made her way into the hallway. As she exited, she turned to see Katarina gliding out behind her, a rather blank expression on her usually contemplative face.

"Can you believe him" Dominique fumed as they walked up to the Common Room, "What a little rat! He thinks he can just control the conversation with some talk of these imaginary creatures- they can't possibly exist. Right?" she looked at Katarina who didn't answer, just leading Dominique on,

"Exactly. I knew you would agree with me. That boy is such a nuisance. I don't know how Philip puts up with him. I mean, Philip is one of the first "nice" Slytherin's I've met in a long time- how can they handle that idiotic git, I hope he never gets invited to one of those parties again. It was a waste of thought and a waste of my breathe to debate that topic"

Soon, the girls reached the Gryffindor tower and Dominique let her fuming recede as they entered to see people curled up in the common room studying or resting. The fireplace let shadows play on the walls as Dominique and Katarina walked up to their dormitories and lay down for the night.

It was the Halloween Feast and the Great Hall was adequately decorated for the occasion. The stars hung high in the sky as the candles floating menacingly below and pumpkins with equally sinister expression lined the columns and tables. The windows were decorated with charms only Professor Flitwick would know and the food looked delicious. While the usual feast was available, there was multiple plates of exotic food that looked both appetizing and intimidating at once. As the different houses filled in. As the last prefect sat, Headmistress McGonagall rose and tapped her glass loudly.

The talking ceased.

"Welcome to the Halloween Feast. We hope you enjoy the effort put forth by both the teachers and house elves alike. Happy Hallows Eve"

As she sat down, the Great Hall erupted with applause and clinks of utensils filled the upper rafters as everyone reached for different plates. As everyone ate, Dominique felt a tap on her shoulder- she turned around to see Irene on her left. The mousey-looking girl looked paranoid and leaned down,

"Please come to the dorms to talk with me. It's really important" she whispered urgently,

"Can't this wait until after the feast" Dominique said in annoyance, "We just sat down to eat" Irene shook her head no. Heaving a sigh, Dominique stood and gave an apologetic look to Katarina, who was watching the scene closely, and set off with Irene.

"The hall is fine right?" she said, Irene looked irritated but nodded yes. As they reached the outside of the Great Hall, the loud sounds of discussion ceased and the two former inseparable friends stood across from one another.

"I miss you" Irene said bluntly, "We never hang out anyone, and we never study anyone. I mean, we never even sit together in classes" Dominique rolled her eyes,

"This is what this meeting is about? Honestly Irene, we never really hung out that much together in the first place, we don't really have that many classes together this year. I don't see what the problem is"

"There's a problem, Dom" Irene said angrily, "I don't know why you can't see the obvious"

"The obvious what?" Dominique said in exasperation, "The obvious slap-in-the-face that I have friends and you don't? That was pretty evident from the moment we stepped into Hogwarts. You don't try to make friends and you certaintly don't act like you need friends in class" Irene looked like she was about to cry,

"But how can you say that" she said in a broken voice, "We..." her voice trailed off in a sob, "I thought we had something special" Dominique crossed her arms,

"Yes. The key word in that sentence is "had". We were, at one point, very good friends. This year, we just haven't really clicked- that does happen from time to time with people"

"No" Irene snapped, "It doesn't. But you what does happen. Stupid people that go inbetween people's relationships and just break them apart. People like Katarina Hakai. She does nothing but tear us apart. I can't believe you don't see it"

"Katarina?" Dominique said in disbelief, "You're blaming this on her? Honestly Irene, that's so low. Just because I made friends with some other girl means that she's the reason our relationship is, no has, fallen apart. What an immature move to make"

"It's not immature" Irene hissed, "At some point, you're going to have to choose between me and her. You can't have both"

"I haven't had both" Dominique said back, "I haven't been your friend this whole year"

"So you're choosing her?" Irene said, her anger-filled tone suddenly changing to a self-pitying one, "Some new girl over your best friend since we were eleven?"

"Well..." Dominique pretended to think for a moment, "Yes, yes. That would be what I'm doing" Irene let out a stricken sob and tore down the hallway to the right in tears. Dominique stood there alone for a moment, paralyzed by the separation with the girl that she had known for five years.

She didn't cry, she was too brave to do that- but a small tear escaped her lids as she stared at the ground. The Veela closed her eyes and took a moment to breathe before turning away from the merriment in the Great Hall and walking down the left facing hallway, silent as a ghost.

There was a moment where everything in the hallway remained still. The air seemed stale with grief as the tall hallway tensed. Then, Katarina broke into the passageway. Her silvery eyes flashed around the room as if recalling what was no longer present, and with a glare down one hall and a concerned look down at one spot of liquid chillingly still on the floor- she took off down the left hallway-faster than light.

It was November 1st, and all was quiet, and the Fat Lady was snoozing contentedly in her frame. The darkened hallways were silent as two shadows walked up to the common room. Their steps were light, one was calm while the other's face was streaked with tears. The two girls walked closer than normal as one's hand brushed the other. As they stopped in front of the portrait guarding the Gryffindor common room, the girl with the silver eyes said something under her breathe and made a slight motion with her hands. The portrait creaked open and the other girl followed as they stepped lightly in the common room and sat down on a couch. The fire had grown dim and the shadows that lined the stone walls danced slowly, their vitality dwindling down to glowing ash- the two girls looked straight ahead, their eyes focused on the fire and as it slowly receded, their eyelids fell deeper and deeper until their eyes were closed in a deep slumber.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter.

Frost slide down the Gryffindor Common Room window as Dominique and Katarina sat at one of the side tables. The fireplace roared with life as the various Gryffindor's joked and laughed with vigor and the same phrase could be heard again and again.

One day till Christmas Break- only four classes left.

Dominique and Katarina were not of the excited and giggly girls that were currently inhabiting the common room. Dressed in woolly socks and flannel pajama pants- the majority of them were huddled next to the fireplace with sweaters and hats on- gaily laughing and playing cards. No, the two girls sat in a vaguely shadowed area of the room- speaking in earnest to eachother.

"Oh Katarina, you have to come home with me!" Dominique was pleading, "My family have simply got to meet you"

"Oh, I don't know Dominique" Katarina said, tapping her fingers aimlessly on the tabletop, "I really don't know if my sister is going to be away on break. If she's going to be home, then I'd really prefer to see her"

Dominique held up her hands in defeat,

"How about this?" she said after a moment of contemplation- "You owl your sister to see if she'll be home and if she's not, then you'll come home with me"

"Deal" Katarina said with a grin,

-

A day had passed and the girls stood on the platform. Hogsmeade was freezing cold as the wind whistled and howled around the small covered train station. The various students stood around the brittle ice patches on the pavement with different and oddly shaped luggage, usually accompanied with a friend or a pet in a cage. Most of them were wearing winter robes with fleece lining and boots, except for a few that were shivering in the cold breeze.

Finally, a whistle told the crowd that the train was arriving. A minute or so later, the red steam-engine careened into the station- it's bright red paint covered in ice and the top covered in a cake of snow. But no one paid much note to the snow as the doors opened and steam rolled out in waves, the heating charm of the train still in heavy operation. Students bombarded the train, tens of them clambering to reach one door except for Dominique and Katarina. The veela held back her friend as the crowds attacked the doors,

"Just wait" she said with amusement- "It'll abate"

And within moments, just as the veela had said, the crowds reduced and there was no line as the two friends stepped quietly on the train. The hall was fairly open as the girls rolled their trunks with them down the hall, looking for an empty compartment-

"Do you want to sit with Roxxane and Fred?" Dominique asked as they walked down the hall,

"No" Katarina said thoughtfully, "I think I just want some peace and quiet on the way home" Dominique nodded,

"That's understandable" she said, "Do you mind if I sit with you? After all, we've got the famous Weasley Christmas to deal with, you're going to want some peace and quiet soon"

"Of course not" Katarina said, smiling, "I'd love it if you sat with me"

So the two friends continued down the hall, lost in thought as both looked left and right for an empty compartment. Eventually, they found a compartment situated on the right side of the train and pulled both themselves and their trunks inside. Comfortably lounging on one seat, Dominique took out a book from her trunk and began to read while Katarina took up a post on the other seat and stared thoughtfully at the window- contemplating who-knows-what.

After a few hours spent on thought and words, the door rattled and opened to reveal the elder women peeking her head in,

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" she said sweetly, Katarina shook herself out of her reverie and smiled,

"Sure, I'll take a licorice wand and a chocolate frog" the women smiled and turned to dig in the trolley as Katarina turned to Dominique,

"Aren't you getting anything, Dominique?" The girl drew her eyebrows to the middle,

"Hmm, well- I suppose so" her voice dwindled off and she turned to the doorway and watched Katarina exchange money with the women. She worked up a smile and asked for a chocolate frog and a blood pop- subsequently paying for her candy as well.

The two girls ate in silence, relishing the sucrose and glucose imbedded in both of their snacks. Katarina let out a laugh,

"What?" Dominique inquired, Katarina laughed a bit more,

"I got Newt Scamander" she said, chuckling a bit more, Dominique cocked her head,

"What's so funny about that?" she said in confusion, Katarina waved her aside,

"It's a family joke" she said and laughed a bit more before going back to contemplating. The rest of the ride continued at this pace- both girls engrossed in their respective habits, realizing that- for the entirety of the Christmas Break, they would be virtually inseperable.

At around 1pm, the train pulled into Platform 9 and 3/4. Dominique and Katarina picked up their bags and headed off the train as the multitude of families waiting for their children to return home for the holidays waited with baited breath as their children exited the train.

Weaving their way in and around the crowds, Dominique led the girl's search for the Weasley parents. Bill and Fleur Weasley stood at the back of the crowd patiently, waiting for their children to find them. After a few minutes, Dominique and Katarina broke the tight crowd and the veela saw her parents.

"Mum! Dad!" she squealed with enthusiam and ran up to both, hugging both elders with barely contained enthusiasm. "It's so good to see you both" Bill smiled,

"It's good to see you too, darling", while Fleur looked over to Katarina,

"'Ave you introduced your friend, dear?" Fleur said and politely smiled at Katarina,

"This is Katarina" Dominique said, smiling, "I invited her to our house because her sister is off dragon-hunting"

"Oh- 'ow interesting" Fleur commented, "I'm glad you are coming to stay with us" Bill smiled,

"It's great to have a friend of Dominique stay with us" he said, "My brother, Charlie, works with dragons as well- I'll be sure to introduce you to him at the annual Weasley dinner" Katarina gave a smile,

"Thank you for letting me come" she said, "I'd love to meet your brother- it sounds like he and my older sister would have a lot in common" Dominique smiled as the family waited patiently for Victoire and Louis to arrive.

After collecting all the necessary members, the Weasley family headed to the fireplaces on the side of the platform to floo home.

"Where are we going?" Katarina asked as the six neared the fires.

"To Shell Cottage" Victoire said,

"Our home" Dominique added, and chanced a glance over at her odd friend, "Surely you know about Floo powder?" Katarina smiled,

"Of course I know about Floo Powder" she said, "Don't be silly" but remained strangely silent as she watched both Bill and Fleur shout "Shell Cottage" and dissapear with a roar of flames into the fireplace. When it came time for Katarina to go, she turned to both Louis and Dominique, whom remained behind her-

"See you there" she said,

"See you there" they both echoed. With a turn of her shoes, a dip of her hand into a pot of white powder, a flick of her hand and step into the green flames- she smiled and shouted,

"Shell Cottage" Within milliseconds, she was sucked into a tunnel of flame and she was spinning. She tucked her hands in close to her body as the flames spun her faster than the speed of light.

And then it stopped. Her eyes, which had remained open the entire time, suddenly were viewing a living room where one red and another blonde headed person stood with their hands reaching out and grabbed her. With a not-so-elegant stumble, she tumbled onto the carpet.

Dominique's parents, Bill and Fleur Weasley stood above her, one fussing with worry and the other smiling politely but his eyes twinkling with mirth,

"O come 'ere, chéri" Fleur fussed and helped Katarina stand up and dusted the ash off of her clothes. Seconds later, Dominique came hurtling through the fire while Louis quickly followed.

As the Victoire, Louis, Dominique and Katarina acquainted themselves with the surroundings, Bill suddenly clapped his hands to his head,

"I am so sorry you lot, I invited my new coworker over tonight for dinner. I can't believe I forgot" he said, and he addressed Katarina, "I'm terribly sorry the first dinner you have to have at a Weasley household has to be a polite one" Katarina,

"Don't worry Mr. Weasley" she said, "It's not a problem"

Fleur sniffed,

"I remembered" she said, "I even 'ave dinner prepared. Why don't ze lot of you get ready for dinner, I'm already dressed- so I'll work on ze food"

The rest of the family retreated upstairs to get ready for dinner. Dominique led Katarina to her room. As they opened the door, Dominique laughed,

"I hope you like my room" she said, "It's slightly off"

As the door opened wider, the room opened to reveal bright blue walls and a flowery white bed. There was a large window on the opposite wall, and a shag rug on the floor. There were pictures on the wall of the various members of the Weasley family and the ceiling was covered with twinkling stars.

"I like it" Katarina commented as the two girls dropped their trunks off on the floor. Dominique turned back to Katarina,

"Oh! And I almost forgot, do you have any nice dresses to wear to dinner, or do you just want to wear something of mine?" Katarina smiled,

"Would you really not mind me borrowing something?"

"Of course not" Dominique exclaimed, "You just have to wear something flattering" Katarina rolled her eyes,

"Whatever works, Dominique" The veela smiled and turned to her closet, opening it to reveal at least 15 dresses. She turned back and critically looked at her friend,

"Red... no maybe Blue, Hmm, purple?" Dominique stroked her chin in avid thought as she turned back to her dresses and to her friend,

"I'd be okay with black" Katarina suggested, and Dominique turned back-seeming to think for a moment and finally dipping her head in acknowledgement.

"Allright" she said grudgingly, "Next time though-color"

Katarina smiled as Dominique went searching through dresses until she found an attractive black dress that was some slinky black material which would flow perfectly around Katarina. She pulled it out of the wardrobe and holding it in front of Katarina critically before handing it to her. Katarina went to the bathroom to try on the dress while Dominique picked out one for herself. After some thought, a light pink dress made of some sheer material was pulled out of the closet.

Dominique made short work of her clothing and switched from casual to the dress she had picked for herself. As she attempted to button it up from the back, she tried to reach the top. Failing to completely do it up, she waited awkwardly for Katarina to re-enter the room.

After a few minutes, Katarina entered the room, clad in the black dress,

"Wow Katarina, that looks fantastic on you" And indeed, it did look absolutely fantastic on her. The black material clung to her form and showed off her thin legs and distinguished neck. She turned to look at Dominique and smiled,

"That looks great on you as well" she said,

"Actually" Dominique cringed, "I have a problem with my dress, would you mind..." she trailed off, and Katarina raised her eyebrows,

"Button you up?" Dominique smiled widely,

"Yes, _please_" Katarina laughed,

"Of course" and moved behind Dominique, letting the veela move her hair to the side as Katarina moved her hands to the Dominique's mid back. Her thin fingers quickly located the buttons and began to do them up. As Katarina approached the last five, she began to do them quicker, but as she flicked a button between her fingers nimbly to slide it inbetween the open slit of fabric in the other side of the dress, the door creaked open.

"Am I interrupting something?" Victoire's voice reverberated throughout the room as both girls jumped,

"Oh Vic" Dominique said hurriedly, "Katarina was helping me do up my dress" as Katarina said simultaneously,

"I was just doing up Dominique's dress"

Both girls stopped awkwardly and turned their eyes downward as the older girl raised her eyebrows,

"Whatever" she said dismissively, "Just coming to see if you were ready" Dominique flushed,

"I was almost ready" Victoire rolled her eyes,

"Yeah. Okay. See you downstairs in a minute, or however long _this_ takes you" Dominique turned to Katarina as her elder sister exited the room.

"Sorry about that" she said and turned back around again, "Could you finish?"

The girls resumed their positions and Katarina finished up the buttoning. Within minutes, the pair was walking down to the dining room. They waited in the dining room until a knock at the front door sounded. Fleur glided into the room and opened the door. As the family turned to look at the door, a man with greasy black hair entered the antechamber. His dark black eyes darted around the room before settling on Fleur and smiling.

"Hello, I'm Horatio, Horatio Crinchlow" Fleur smiled as Dominique and Katarina did a doubletake.

"Who did he say he was?" Dominique whispered to Katarina,

"Horatio Crinchlow" Katarina whispered back, "Do you think he's related to Augustus?"

"Maybe" Dominique whispered and both straightened as Fleur smiled back at the man,

"I'm Fleur Weasley, wife of Bill Weasley. You two work together, je suppose?" Horatio gave a greasy grin,

"Yes, Is he around?" Fleur nodded yes and gestured to the living room, where Bill was headed towards the pair with a wide smile,

"Horatio, it's great to see you. This is my family. You've already met my lovely wife Fleur, and these" he gestured to Louis, Victoire, Katarina and Dominique, "Are my beautiful children, Louis, Victoire and Dominique, and her lovely friend Katarina" Horatio turned to the Hogwarts-bound children,

"Lovely to meet you all" he said, his eyes lingering on Katarina for a moment before turning back to Bill.

"Enough talk of introductions" Bill said, "Let's have some dinner. My wife is a bloody brilliant cook" He led Horatio to the dining room as the children followed.

As the family sat, Fleur brought out steak and kidney pie and mashed potatos and set them down on the table.

"Please enjoy" she said charmingly as she sat down as well.

The family all dug into the food. Different sized portions of the delectable pie was to be found on the different plates, although Horatio only took a small amount. He turned to Bill before even tasting his pie,

"So Bill, have you heard anything on the revolution I spoke to you about earlier this week?" Bill looked confused,

"Which revolution?" he said between bites, and turning to his wife,

"This is absolutely fantastic pie, by the way" he commented before turning back to Horatio, who looked rather annoyed,

"The one I spoke to you about on Tuesday, the goblin revolution in Romania?"

"Vaguely" he said, "The one with the underground rebellion?"

"Yes, exactly the one I was referencing" Horatio said,  
"I wanted to tell you about a new update in the rebellion. It appears that they have enlisted the help of some wizards, Purebloods, nonetheless"

_Dominique's Thoughts: Purebloods...What on Earth?_

"Wizards helping goblins?" Bill said, "Well, as much as I'm not in support of goblin rebellions, I am glad that goblins and wizards are finally reaching some points of agreement" Horatio snorted,

"Hardly. I would think that the wizards are using the goblins because of their evident superiority. I think Zabini knows much more of the information about this than I do- he has some sort of source there" Bill raised his eyebrows,

_Katarina's Thoughts: Superiority? Zabini? I wonder what his source is... or better yet, who?_

"I don't really associate with Zabini" he said, "And I don't believe that wizards are superior to goblins"

"Well, I didn't mean that" Horatio said hastily, "I meant that you know, there are some good sources in Romania, that would be good for the wizarding world, powerful beings"

"Being that reside in Romania?" Bill questioned,

_Dominique's Thoughts: Romania?_  
_Katarina's Thoughts: Romania, Oh- Then Whatever_

"No, Germany" Horatio said

_Katarina's Thoughts: ...GERMANY?_

"Oh, Katarina is from Germany" Dominique interrupted the flow of the conversation,

_Katarina's Thoughts: Bloody Hell_

"Oh really" Horatio said, his eyes darting to Katarina,  
"What do you think of it?"

"I think the wizards shouldn't get involved, it will only cause them harm- but if they have to get involved, they might as well begin writing their wills now"

There was a silence at the table,

"I meant Germany" Horatio said silkily, but his dark eyes looked triumphant, as if he had just confirmed something,

"It's fine" Katarina said dismissively, "Nothing very special about it" Horatio turned to Bill but his eyes took longer to sway from Katarina,

"I see. Bill, what do you think about these creatures?"

Bill thought for a second, tapping his fork on the table,

"I agree with Katarina, honestly. From what I've seen of goblins, they don't seem like creatures you'd want to mess around with"

"From what I've heard, the wizards involved with this are extremely competent and would have no problems dealing with goblins" Horatio said, "In fact" he said, leaning forward in his seat, "I would even venture to say that these goblins aren't even goblins, that they are some sort of alternate creature, even worse than a silly little goblin, that wizards, and when I say that I mean- purebloods , could use to conquer society"

Fleur coughed as Bill slowly stood and gestured towards the door,

"I think we're done here" he said quietly. Horatio stood, eyeing Bill's right hand, which was slowly moving towards his cloak pocket.

"It would appear so" he replied smoothly, and with a flourish of his robes, was out the door. As the door closed, Fleur rose from the table,

"Children, to bed." she said in a commanding tone rarely heard in the Weasley household as she turned to look at Bill; but Bill was not focusing on his wife. Hurrying to the fireplace, he threw a pinch of white powder into the fireplace and muttered,

"Potter household"

With a burst of green flame, Bill stuck his head in the roaring flames- to see his younger sister, Ginny, his brother-in-law, Harry Potter and their three children eating dinner. Harry's eyes flicked towards the fire as Ginny gave a start.

"Uncle Bill" Lily squealed as she turned to view the green flames,

"Bill" Harry said, his eyes squinted in curiousity, "Why are you calling so late?" Bill cleared his throat,

"I need to tell you something, without" and he coughed- looking at the children indirectly, as Harry took the hint,

"Ah. Gin, could you take Al, Lily and James upstairs, Bill and I need to discuss something serious, Auror business" Ginny offered a small frown but nevertheless, ushered the children up the stairs to the left of dining room.

Harry turned to the fire fully,

"So, Bill?" he questioned, "Do tell" Bill took a breathe and began to narrate the nights events...

_-_

Katarina's eyes opened to a starlit sky as she looked over to see Dominique sleeping peacefully to her right. The moonlight shining in from the large window danced off of her hair and Katarina turned back to the side of the bed facing the exit from the room.

Within seconds, she had rolled down to the floor and waited for a moment or two as she listened to Dominique's peaceful breathing. After a moment, she moved to a crouch and unlatched the window. The small space it left open was perfectly sized for the athletic girl and it was not long before she had snuck out into the night.

She gracefully walked through the woods near to shell cottage, being especially careful to not break a twig. She stole behind tall oaks and pines as a light snow fell. As she had expected, within a few minutes- she came upon one silent soul hiding behind a tree. His hair was an immediate give-away that it was Horatio Crinchlow, hiding out in the woods.

Thoughts raced through Katarina's head faster than the speed of light as she stood stock-still, waiting. If Horatio was hiding in the woods and he knew about Germany than it would only make sense that he was lying in wait for the family to fall asleep to make some sort of advance.

Connecting the dots between thoughts and actions, Katarina took her right hand and contrived her ninjato out of thin air. As she whipped it around to stab the man through the spinal cord, she immediately regretted her decision.

The sound of the knife slicing the molecules of the night air had alerted Horatio to her presence and he flicked his body to the left and twisted midair to present a wand and effortless athletic skill.

Katarina remained calm as the man began to hurtle insults and spells at her in fast-forward action.

"Diffindo"  
"Crucio"  
"Avada Kedavra"

Katarina nimbly danced behind the tall trees and up their trunks to avoid the explosion of spells while all the while, cooly calculating the mathematics of her jumps, kenjutsu and gymnastic evasions. It wouldn't be long, she realized, until the idiotic wizard tired himself of the aimless spells.

Soon enough, Horatio stopped and stood defensively between a ring of trees- he looked dishevaled and he leered in all directions from his vantage point,

"Come out, come out wherever you are" he said, tapping his wand lightly against his arm, Katarina lay in wait high above on some odd tree branch, and as he prepared for an attack from the side, she carefully made her way down to a more realistic jumping height.

She barely breathed and the tension mounted in the clearing. Seeing a miniature rock on the tree, she threw it in the opposite direction to test his attention and was momentarily caught off guard as he shot a "Diffindo" towards her. However, being highly trained, she made no motion or sound as her cheek burned and blood trickled down her face.

"I'm not stupid, you witch" he said mockingly but he turned the other way, obviously assuming whomever was trying to kill him was unfamiliar with pain. But as he changed sides, there was a rustle from the trees above.

It was too late as the wizard turned to see the silhouette of his killer flicking a blade all too easily to slice his neck off. His mouth opened in a scream as the smooth edge of the ninjato entered through his skin, and the pulsating muscles of his neck. The blade slipped through his vertebrae and jugular vein, and the short scream was met with silence as Katarina withdrew the blade and wiped it clean on the wizards clothes.

She gazed down upon her opponents face, caught between amusement and disgust at the man's decapitated head, suddenly the house lit up as Katarina's eyes flashed to Shell Cottage.

Paying little mind to the dead body beneath her, she began to sprint back to the house. Soon, she was crawling back in the window and was successfully stowed beneath the sheets as Dominique stirred to wakefulness.

Dominique rubbed her eyes and looked over to see Katarina snoozing peacefully in bed. She recalled moments before, hearing the shriek from outside and her eyes flew open. She turned to Katarina and shook her violently,

"Kat, Kat" she said urgently, "Wake up"

Her friend slowly awoke, opening he eyes sleepily,

"Mmmm, What, Dom" she murmured, "Why are we getting up so early?"

"There was a scream" Dominique said quietly, "Did you not hear?" And Katarina seemed more awake now,

"A scream?" she asked, awareness flooding her features, "What happened?" Dominique suddenly gasped,

"What" Katarina said quickly, "What is it, Dom?" The veela pointed to Katarina's cheek and the girl brought her hand up to her face and traced it along her mandible, pausing as she felt the warm gush of blood.

"Oh, What happened? Why are you bleeding?" Dominique said, her eyes wide,

"Um" Katarina said, "I" she pretended to think for a second, "Oh, I must have scratched myself during the night"

Dominique looked relieved,

"Here" she said kindly, "Let me patch that up" So the girls headed to the bathroom quickly and wrapped up the scratch before they headed to the living room.

Louis, Victoire, Fleur and Bill all sat with wands out in the homey living room as Fleur heaved a sigh of relief as both Dominique and Katarina entered the room.

"O thank 'eaven" she fretted, "I am so glad you girls are okay"

The family waited as Bill went to investigate the disturbance. There were no sibling rivalries as their father went out in the darkness to speculate upon the scream.

The minutes that passed by could have been hours as Victoire held Louis close, Dominique and Katarina sat close and Fleur paced back and forth, tapping her wand against her knee. Finally, there was a knock on the door. Fleur gestured for the children to wait in the hallway as she went to answer it.

It was Bill and he looked as if he'd seen a ghost. The family came out of hiding as they all waited for him to recant upon what he'd seen. He took a deep breathe before beginning to speak,

"Horatio is dead" he said with a grim finality, "He's been decapitated outside"

"Then we must call ze Aurors, You must call 'Arry, Bill" Fleur said urgently. Bill nodded and walked over to the fireplace, and flooing the Boy-Who-Lived.

Seconds passed before pops were heard all around outside as the auror team came to investigate. Harry entered Shell Cottage and asked Bill to show him to the body.

There were no news crew and no Dennis Creevy at this investigation. Besides the mutters of aurors between themselves, there was no discussion. Giving into her temptations, Dominique grabbed Katarina and led both of them to slide outside to look at the murder scene. She saw the back of Uncle Harry's head as the pair grew closer to the scene of the murder. They twisted around the trees and finally, she saw it- the gruesome and blood-filled scene that looked somewhat reminiscent. Fighting the urge to retch, she turned and they both returned the the house, Dominique satisfied, she had seen what she had intended.

As the family sat quietly in the living room, one of the newer Auror's approached Bill-

"May we talk to you family, sir?" he asked, flinching as Bill's face turned red,

"Absolutely not" he thundered, "I will have no interviews with my family"

Harry appeared suddenly to the left of the cringing auror,

"Go ahead Henry, it's okay" he said comfortingly before turning to Bill,

"Bill, we've done all we can for now- just put some more protections around the house. I'll see you in a couple days at the Burrow" The men shook hands and as Harry gestured, the men disapparated with him.

Bill turned back to his family, gesturing for the children to head to bed,

"Fleur" he said, "Help me with the wards" She acquiesced and silently, the pair began to wave their wands in intricate patterns that piled layer upon layer of safeguards around the house.

As Victoire turned down the hallways to her room, she turned back for a brief second to watch her younger sister and her friend enter their room. Her eyes slightly narrowed as she assessed the information that she had been told about Katarina Hakai.

She shut the door to her room, deep in thought as she lay in the covers, and at last, coming to the disturbing conclusion that there was something that Katarina was not telling her or anyone else at the Weasley household. 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter

It was snowing outside Shell Cottage when Dominique woke up to her mother's face. The veela was saying something loudly as Dominique slowly awoke.

"You 'ave to get ready, Dominique. I must insist"

She waved her mother aside as both she and Katarina awoke from a deep slumber. The scratch on Katarina's cheek had healed and both girls walked over to their respective trunks to prepare for the start of the day. As Katarina walked sleepily over the the bathroom, Dominique pulled on jeans and a sweater to wear to her relatives house. She brushed her hair thoughtfully and was just finishing pulling it up into a high ponytail as Katarina re-entered the room, pajama in hand, wearing jeans and a long sleeved tee. As both girls sat and stared aimlessly in the distance, Dominique snapped to life.

"Kat" she said, all business-like for 7 in the morning, "I just wanted to warn you about the Weasley annual Christmas fiesta. It may not be Christmas morning or anytime near that time of night- my family goes bloody mad at this reunion"

Katarina smiled a bit,

"Duly noted" she said as the pair exited the room carrying rucksacks and headed down to the living room. The rest of the family were waiting patiently as they all convened, prepared to floo. Fleur and Bill began the floo process, simply throwing a handful of powder into the fireplace, waiting for the flames to turn their traditional green, stepping into the fireplace and showing the ever-familar "Burrow".

Louis followed but rather than Victoire taking over as the 4th to leave, she waved Dominique forward-

"You go Dom, I'll go after Katarina" The younger sister nodded, a perplexed look on her face and repeated the same procedure. Katarina had a contemplative look on her face as she stepped forward into the fire and shouting "The Burrow". Victoire waited a moment before quickly stepping through the flames and twisting her way toward her grandparents residence.

Victoire jumped out onto the living room, only to see both Dominique and Katarina headed off in one direction and her brother meeting up with the troublesome James Potter. She smiled and greeted her grandparents quickly before running to find Teddy.

Meanwhile, Dominique showed Katarina around the house; the many red-headed people that were occupying the house began stopping and hugging Dominique and inquiring about Katarina. It wasn't long before both girls were sick of meeting great-aunt after twice-removed uncles.

"It's funny that all of your relatives have red hair" Katarina commented as they walked in the upper regions of the Burrow, exploring the various magical additions to the teetering house. Dominique laughed,

"We must have some sort of dominant gene that just won't go away" The two girls chuckled and moved along in their investigations. Consequently, they missed the customary greeting from Dominique's grandparents, Molly and Arthur.

The elder Weasley's had attempted to gather their large and extended family to one location, which did not work out in the slightest, to give a welcoming speech and some sort of loose schedule for the majority of the red-heads to follow. Both Bill and Fleur met with Molly and Arthur, and after the customary hugs and kisses that were evident with this close family, things reverted to their usual chaotic structure.

As the rumble of conversation and socialization began up again, Dominique and Katarina began to make their way downstairs. As they walked into the kitchen, Dominique let out a happy squeal,

"Uncle Charlie! Aunt Hermione! It's so good to see you both" The scarred male and the petite female both let out wide smiles at the sign of their favorite niece,

"Dominique" Charlie said, opening his arms and letting the girl into a hug,

"How have you been?" Dominique smiled brightly,

"Excellent, have you met my friend, Katarina?" Charlie turned to the other girl standing next to Dominique,

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure" he said kindly and shook her hand, "I'm Charlie, Bill's brother- it's great to meet you"

"And you" Katarina said, smiling as she shook his hand, looking at the vast amount of scars that ran up and down his arms.

"Actually, Charlie" Dominique said, "Katarina's sister works with dragons"

Charlie raised his eyebrows,

"Oh really?" he looked with a bit more interest now upon the girl, "Do you know which type?" Katarina gave a smile,

"The furry kind?" she said laughing nervously and when Charlie gave her a quizzical look, she laughed a bit more,

"Joking Joking. English isn't my first language. I meant scaly, the large ones" Charlie smiled but looked a tad bit confused, as did Hermione, who- although she had said nothing, was aiming a perplexed stare at Katarina, Dominique suddenly jumped in the conversation,

"Oh Heh, it's an inside joke, Uncle Charlie" She laughed too, but it failed to dispel the awkward silence that slowly spread,

"Alright" she said, "Let's go" and pulled Katarina with her,

"Bye Aunt Hermione, Uncle Charlie"

On the other side of the Burrow, Teddy and Victoire found eachother and proceeded to snog while James and Louis plotted something nefarious for the dinner guests.

It was 7pm in the Weasley household on Christmas eve. All was quiet throughout the house and except for the long dinner table in the backyard, nothing was stirring, not even a mouse. The candles on the dinner table floated in midair as the table's inhabitants chatted with eachother. As Molly and Fleur began to bring out the dinner platters, there was a burst of flame and a loud bang under the table. Suddenly, from one end of the table, there were flames alighting people and loud surprised screams.

Everyone attempted to jump up from the table as more pops, bangs and clapping sounds emitted and shapes of dragons and mythical creatures filled the sky.

"LOUIS" Came Fleurs shout, as Ginny shouted

"JAMES" simultaneously.

The two young boys ran from the table at the speed of light as James's younger sister, Lily, caught her hair on fire.

"Wildfire Wizbangs" Angelina shouted, slapping George upside the head, "You told me you left them all at the shop this weekend" George grinned weakly,

"What can a guy do?" he said, throwing his hands in the air, and turning to the fleeing forms of Louis and James, "Run little guys, Run!"

Chaos erupted as Dominique, Katarina, Victoire and Teddy all ran in an attempt to catch the culprits. They sprinted after the two rascals who made a detour towards the front of the house. But as the quartet rounded the corner, a splash of unidentifiable fluid landed on Victoire's shirt.

"Ugh" she shrieked, "Louis! I'm going to kill you, this was my favorite- What?" She said in annoyance at Teddy's expression whose jaw had dropped open.

"The stain isn't that bad" but as she looked down, her shirt had vanished and Teddy had a wide smile on his face.

Dominique and Katarina continued the chase, but as the turned another corner, they ended up slamming into a wall and as they twirled to escape the dead-end, a door shut in their face. A lock clicked as both girls began to bang on the closet door,

"Hello?" Dom yelled, "Can anyone hear us?" but soon after a few minutes, tired of the yelling and turned to ranting about Louis,

"I can't believe Louis, that little brat, he's going to pay for what he did, He's absolutely-" but her rants were cut short by a set of very feminine lips upon her own.

Dominique's eyes opened wide in shock as Katarina's arms encircled her body and tugged at the hairtie that held her silky hair in place; but soon, shock led to pleasure as she felt teeth nipping at her lips, demanding entry. She acquiesced to the demands but let her body respond the the ministrations that Katarina was placing upon her back.

Soon the two girls were locked in a snog too passionate to describe in words. The darkness hid what skin would have been shown as the yells soon receded muffles noises, banging and moans. As the heat in the broom closet grew to a boiling point, Katarina felt hands picking apart the buttons that held her pants together and she reciprocated the motions. Shirts and bottoms were thrown left and right as the gap between which girl was whom grew smaller and smaller.

As the snog grew once more in passion, the door was thrown open. The girls broke apart to see Teddy Lupin standing in the doorway, his jaw down to his knees and eyes bugging out.

Katarina wiped the lipstick from her neck as Dominique attempted cover up the small lovebite that was present on her neck. Dominique cleared her throat, looking down at her considerable lack of clothing, and back to narrowed her eyes and pulled out her wand, pointing it directly at Teddy. Katarina took the hint and immediately pulled out her wand as well. Thankfully because of the awkward situation, no one realized her wand was backwards.

"Teddy" Dominique threatened, attempting to step forward to intimidate him but caught by what the realization of stepping out into light would mean, "If you tell anyone, and I mean anyone, I will cut off your precious galleons and not flinch once"

Teddy nodded, his expression caught somewhere inbetween pleasure and fear and backed away from the closet. Dominique let a breathe escape her lips before turning back to Katarina, she opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it before grabbing her pants and pulling them on. She picked up her shirt, fingered her hickey and took the proffered shirt that Katarina held forward. She, in turn, held her own shirt out as they both finished dressing.

Dominique twirled her hair back into a bun and as she left, let a tender smile cross her face and kissing Katarina softly on the cheek.

After the failed first attempt at dinner, the second went slightly better. There were no fireworks and the food was excellent as always. No one really noticed the switch of shirts except for Victoire, of course, who eyed both girls suspicously, asking Teddy a few times if he noticed anything- to which he would quickly defer to answer.

In the days following Christmas, most of the Weasley's remained at the Burrow, and developed a certain routine of which to follow. In Dominique and Katarina's case, they would wander in forest, down a worn down path towards the Ottery river. In Victoire and Teddy's case, they had developed the routine of attempting to follow Dominique and Katarina to the riverside.

On the day after Christmas, Katarina woke Dominique at 7 in the morning and they walked out of the house. For early in the morning, it was especially crisp and sunny as the two girls walked down the forest pathway to the river. It wasn't planned or scheduled as an activity, and it definitely wasn't in the knowledge or business of the other Weasleys.

It took a while to reach the river, usually around 1 or 2 hours, so that it was 8 or 9am by the time the two girls reached the river. The rocks that Katarina had found were perfect for the wintery time of year. Although it was mostly likely freezing below the water and the trees were barren of leaves, the two girls enjoyed a kind of solitude in the woods, although one could see for a mile or two. They didn't do much. It's not as if they played tag or tick-tack-toe in the dust.

Mostly they talked.

They talked about so many different things. There was the family, school, nature, history and lastly the kiss. Even though there was some understanding that it happened, the idea of how or why the kiss took place was of some confusion to them both. It wasn't as if both had woken that morning, intending on kissing the other. But it didn't bother Katarina much, or Dominique for that matter. It was a matter that both girls had settled in their minds as a thing that would move forward. Whether that meant being secretive or being discriminated against, it simply wasn't an option to just pretend it never happened.

The next couple of days, Victoire was especially interested in Katarina and Dominique's affairs. It wasn't as if she ever saw them from 7am generally till late afternoon. Oftentimes, she wouldn't where and how they got where they were going. To help her in her quest, she enlisted the help of her reluctant boyfriend, Teddy. He was insanely reluctant to do her bidding. Not only was he skiddish around them when they both appeared at meals but he also refused to even contemplate following them. Eventually, she convinced him to follow them with her.

It was an early morning for both parties that day. Come seven in the morning, Dominique and Katarina were to be seen leaving the house in the direction of the woods. Teddy and Victoire were soon to follow, but as they were innocently following the pathway down to the river, they came upon a sight not so innocent.

At the junction up ahead, Katarina had Dominique pushed up against a tree and snogging her as if her life depended on it. Widening her eyes a centimeter, she held her hand up in front of Teddy's eyes with a sigh,

"Don't" she said,

"But" he started,

"Just don't" she said

And that was the end of the Teddy accompanying Victoire on her scouting missions. The next day, Victoire watched as Dominique and Katarina had a playful affair near the water.

"Come swimming with me" she heard Dominique ask teasingly,

"It's too cold" Katarina said, laughing, "But you can go swimming if you'd like" This prompted Dominique to laugh along with her,

"Then I shall" and she proceeded to strip to her underwear and jump in the river with a shriek. When she emerged from the icy water, her pale complextion was streaked with goosebumps but she still smiled and swam further along the river stream, doing a slow breaststroke along the deep riverbed. As Dominique became further and further away, Katarina turned to stare in the exact place where Victoire was standing.

Freezing, Victoire watched closely as Katarina looked at her hiding spot in contemplation,

"Hmmm, I wonder why they are following us?" she asked the seemingly empty surrounding, but after staring for a moment, she departed the scene to run up to where Dominique had swum. As the Veela got out of the water, she quickly dryed and re-dressed.

"Hey Dom" Katarina said, "Just thought you should know, I think your sister is following us"

Dominique froze,

"Following us to...?" she left the answer open-ended,

Katarina shrugged,

"I've no idea" she said, "Probably wants to know what you're doing in your undergarments in a river with me"

Dominique smiled,

"Well I have an answer to that"

They both waited until Victoire re-entered the clearing. The elder sibling had her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed,

"What" she pronounced, "In the Bloody Hell do you think you're doing?"

"That" Dominique said crisply, "Is none of your business"

"It's absolutely my business" Victoire said angrily, "I'm your sister"

"Fine" Dominique taunted, "You want to know the truth?"

"Yes"

"In analogous terms, she's my Teddy"

Victoire's eyes bugged out of her sockets and her mouth fell open,

"Wait.. Really?" She said, shocked, Dominique turned on the defensive side, stepping closer to Katarina,

"Yes"

That afternoon and night at the Burrow were both awkward for Dominique, Katarina and Teddy, Victoire. The two different pairs avoided eachother at all costs, even resorting to sitting at the different ends of tables to make their point.

However, no one in the house was focusing on the tension between the two couples, they were all focused on the article in the paper the following morning. Horatio Crinchlow's murder had finally made the papers and was accompanied with the acknowledgment of another murder of a muggle-born from the Order of Phoenix.

The reactions of many of the family were pretty much the same. Fleur absolutely lost her mind that more than a couple muggle-borns had been murdered the past couple of months. Bill was of a similar mindset, but he was more focused on getting the Order of the Phoenix back together.

"What's the Order of the Phoenix?" Katarina asked the table- which, of course, gave her a full overview of everything concerning the Order of the Phoenix through the first and second wizarding wars. After being bombarded with information, Katarina finally decided to read the paper to not only determine the origin of the Order of the Phoenix but also, to determine who was committing the assasinations that she was not.

Dominique watched as her to assess her reaction and was surprised to see that there was not the open shock that both her parents displayed. A tinge of paleness lightened Katarina's face and she pursed her lips.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

The next day, the Weasley family packed their bags and bid their farewells to the elder set of Weasleys as they headed back to Shell Cottage. The sea breeze was refreshing as the family returned but Katarina could think of nothing but the auror reports that were withheld from the public.

She had to see the reports.

The night after next, Katarina made a plan to break into the Potter Household. After all, Harry Potter was the head of the Auror Department and it was his decision to keep the reports away from the public, more specifically, Dennis Creevey. So at around 11pm, Katarina left Shell Cottage. She quickly shifted over to Godrics Hollow and wiped away her bloody nose. The house on the block that she was staring at had been renovated several times and it looked just as she had imagined it. Harry Potter had renovated it from his parent's murder scene so that it was perfect to start his small family in.

She started up the small incline and turned around back of the house- the jump in the open window from the kitchen and the scaling around the living room was fairly simple. She made her way quietly and carefully into the office. It was a large room with a mahogany desk. Katarina immediately went through the files of the desk. Surely enough- the reports she was seeking had been hurriedly stuffed into one of the side drawers. She quickly grabbed and made out with the pile of papers.

Katarina stood on the sidewalk of a back-alley. Her hands were shaking as she read the reports on the different murders. The names all made their way to her mental database, but her emotions were taking another route because you see, the mark that had been distinguished at every one of the crime scenes was all too familiar. The sloppy amputation of one who likes to play with his victims was one method she knew. She slowly slid down the wall as she looked at picture after picture of the same exact precision. She took out a lighter from her various pockets and lit the packets on fire, the silver flame creating a bold statement to the night as her back slumped against the 90 degree angle of the wall and the ground, she whispered,

"Johan"


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter

_[flashback]_  
_Katarina walked slowly through the woods on her way back home. After shifting out from right under the bandit's group's eyes, she was more than exhausted and ready to find somewhere safe to recooperate. _

_The assasination plan had ultimately failed, from the easy plan she had laid out, the ways of entry and re-entry into the camp should have been easy to navigate, she would have cut his throat in his sleep and gone on with her life. However, as she had entered the camp, bandits had spotted and awoken the entire camp to search for the intruder. This left a very difficult task upon Katarina, because the leader was under subsequent protection and her assasination demanded privacy. _

_So rather than retreat and simply wait until another opportunity arose, Katarina had not-so-gracefully made her way into the camp and quickly disposed of the leader- leaving the bandits no time to plan as she had shifted out. _

_She stifled another bloody nose as she continued her exodus through the forest. This was the problem with some northern territory. You might think that in the woods, one could come across protection from the wind and the freezing air, but the woods up this high north were different. Their leaves and branches seemed to feed off of cold and consequently, Katarina was in a forest._

_As she made her way down some pathways, she remained on high alert. No matter how fast she had shifted, bandits were notorious for being able to track what was supposed to be untraceable. Her suspicions were confirmed as she heard a branch break behind her._

_Turning around quickly, she looked narrowly between the trees in the darkness, attempting to find the source of the noise. But as the rustling continued and a shadow became evident in the darkness- she realized that it was not one of the bandits. _

_It was Johan. Her sister's ex turned traitor was standing somewhat smugly and leaning on a pine,_

_"Hello Kat" he said pleasantly, a mocking smile gracing his face,_

_"Johan" she said, gritting her teeth, _

_"Now now" he said, "Is that any way to treat family?" Katarina sniffed,_

_"As if you were ever family" Johan smirked, _

_"Well, now that I've found the right side... I wouldn't need your warming hospitality any longer" he said,_

_"Are you going to stand here and taunt me all night?" she asked tiredly,_

_A mocking grin stretched across his visage, _

_"Just for a bit, don't you worry. I've come to a pretty good estimate on how exhausting your shifts are, all I have to do is wait" _

_His eyes glittered as her's sprung to life,_

_"Well I'm sorry to dissapoint you" she said, "But I'm really not in the mood for verbal sparring" He smiled, _

_"Who said I'm here for that?" he asked, "I'm just here for the sport of maiming you" Katarina sneered,_

_"Then please, by all means" she opened her arms, "Go at it" _

_Johan took a step forward, his taunting features melting away as a steady concentration took their place. Watching wearily, Katarina took a moment to evaluate her options- shifting would be most unpleasant but the fighting would be equally matched if both began to fight now. _

_Taking a breath, she reached behind herself to pull out the weapon she favored the most. It was just a second more as she tossed her pack aside and took the customary defensive pose. _

_Johan smirked as he watched her bend her knees ever so slightly and the distinct angle to which she held the blade,_

_"Preparing to lose already, Kat?" he laughed mockingly while drawing out his own weapon. In the long silence that stretched across the clearing, Katarina suddenly hissed and struck forward- her blade flashing a bright beacon in the night as the moon lit upon its angles. _

_Johan immediately dropped down to avoid her sweeping cut and made a dart to cut her on the side- his face twisting maliciously as he single-mindedly thrusted forward. What he hadn't accounted for was her creative balance as she turned tightly on her toes and nicked his back with her ninjato. _

_Hissing in pain he retreated, his sword raised in defense. She was smiling darkly as he made the defensive gesture,_

_"Retreating already, Johan?" she mocked as she casually stood in the moonlight, he sneered,_

_"It's no different from when my master killed your parents" _

_Katarina stood still for a moment before she handled her ninjato more closely, clearing choosing to ignore what words had escaped his lips._

_Johan waited, taking a second to look around the woods and the subtle reflections of the moon on Katarina's sword- it was almost fate, that the two of them fought with such vigor. He smirked evilly to himself as he tensed his wrists and made a leap forward. _

_His sword made contact with her back and her unearthly shriek filled the air. He watched greedily as the blood ran down her back in rivets. The oxygenized blood stained her shirt as she hissed in pain, turning her silver eyes-clouded in agony- to face his black ones. He smirked as her knees wobbled and she made a teetering fall to the left and collapsed on the ground, her hands barely catching her severely shaking form. Johan walked crisply in the fog her fall had caused, crouching in front of her face and letting his mouth graze her ear, _

_"Didn't I tell you months ago that you looked just like your mother before she died?" _

_A groan escaped her as she reached desperately for her ninjato that lay somewhere to her left. Johan laughed at her feeble attempts, kicking the weapon further away and stepped on her hand with a crack. _

_Biting back another scream, Katarina grit her teeth- waiting for the perfect moment as Johan said _

_"I told you all I had to do was wait" _

_He laughed, and for the split second that he shut his eyes- Katarina acted. There was a swoosh of air as she brought both of her legs up to knock the man down on his side. She sprang up and grabbed her weapon as he sprung up just as fast. _

_Her back ached with pain, but she ignored it- the adrenaline pumping through her veins blocking out any sort of rational thought as she lunged, and with a sort of due compensation- heard a ripping sound as her ninjato made a rip up Johan's chest, pulling it out somewhere near his sternum._

_She took a couple deep breathes before waiting to see if he would make a move, but the exhausted man lay there as the blood pooled around his body, and made not one sound. She took a moment, silently picked up her pack and dissapeared into the night._

_[End Flashback]_

Katarina shuddered as she pocketed the silver lighter- staring at the ashes that littered the sidewalk. As she stared blankly into the darkness, she hoped that Hogwarts really was as safe as the wizards claimed it to be. She took a moment to collect herself, before beginning yet another training session in the hopes that one day, she could face Johan- and not be utterly humiliated as before.

Returning to Shell Cottage as quickly as possible, the days before the family returned to Hogwarts were growing low. Days flew by as if they weren't days at all, but merely seconds and the nights that she spent talking to Dominique felt like dreams that happened in a whirlwind of sound and color.

But in time, all good things have to come to an end. The hours and minutes ticked down until there was but one hour before the train was to leave the station at Kings Cross. And even then the ride to the school was filled with nothing but meaningless conversation and flirtatious looks.

Soon, however, they were at Hogwarts. It was more evident than ever that Dominique and Katarina were closer than ever. Whether it was the way they walked or the strange proximity that they seemed to carry- there was nothing invisible about the closeness both seemed to exhume.

As the two girls walked to the "Welcome Back" feast- Irene approached the pair- grinning broadly.

"Hello there mates, how have you been?" she said in her chirpy voice, Katarina darkly looked at the annoying girl, who shut her mouth and turned to Dominique hopefully. Dominique shot her an equally dark look, and both girls walked away to sit next to Roxanne and Fred. Irene stood awkwardly in the Great Hall as she looked pleadingly towards the Heads Table, only to get a glare from Proffesor McGonagall.

Before the food appeared, McGonagall stood and clinked her fork against her goblet- commanding the attention of the room,

"Evening students, faculty- here's hoping that each one of you had an excellent winter break. I just wanted to let everyone know that there will be extra security because of the unfortunate death of Horatio Crinchlow, the uncle of one of our own students- Augustus Crinchlow of Slytherin House"

At this, both Dominique and Katarina looked at Augustus- if his dark circles, rough face and angry expression weren't enough, his anger seemed to direct itself specifically at Katarina. Looking at him curiously, Katarina narrowed her eyes- something was dreadfully off.

The weeks past the break flew by with astonishing speed, there seemed to be nothing worth mentioning. All there seemed to be was snogging- lots and lots of carefully plotted out time-slots made available to explore the amount of emptiness Hogwarts seem to have open for clandestine relationships like theirs. Katarina and Dominique managed to occupy every empty corridor and classroom and there seemed to be no time for classwork.

They went to class and ate with their friends and siblings as any other day. But in particular, today had seemed tense and cold. The lunch break had been pleasant until the Great Hall's doors burst open. Little Colin Creevy II ran into the dining area- he was screaming at the top of his lungs.

Taking a second to calm himself down, he threw the Daily Prophet at a shocked Victoire to his left-

"Murder in Hogsmeade" he screamed before running to be comforted by a friend.

Silence echoed in the Great Hall as Victoire's face turned white- there was a picture of the front of a shop, only distinguishable by the blood on the front. Runes were made visible by strange properties that pictures in the Wizarding World seemed to hold. She handed it to Dominique, hoping the Advanced Runes student would be able to translate the message.

Holding it at odd angles, Dominique shook her head and handed it to Katarina- knowing that the smart girl could mostly likely translate it.

However, to her surprise, Katarina shook her head that no, she was also unable to translate the runes.

Katarina shook her head no to Dominique's questioning stare. The young assassin was no stranger to the runes that were before her- but there was no way that she could let the young Veela know.

The meal soon ended, and everyone was told to go to the dormitories immediately. On the way out, Katarina snuck the paper in under her robes to the Common Room.

In the meantime, Katarina and Dominique spent some time in the their favorite classroom doing homework and enjoying eachother's company. They both had no intention to follow the Head -Mistresses to the T- and the time they spent together was filled with laughs and talks of the future and the homework for various classes. Soon however, the pair was forced to secretly make their way back to the dormitory. Dominique was quickly asleep while Katarina really took the time to study the message.

The papers folds were creased out as Katarina carefully translated the runes to create a sentence. Closing her eyes, the girl formed the letters in her head and soon came to the conclusion that Johan wanted to meet her in an abandoned shack. It was obvious, Katarina realized, that this confrontation would have to occur sooner or later- and preferring to take this opportunity to end it as opposed to letting Johan to take the deaths of many an innocent wizard, she began to dress for the meeting she knew was imminent. A black tight shirt, loose shirt, gloves, pants, dragon boots and mouse and nose covering was the customary outfit that Katarina outfitted herself in as she prepared to meet the man who gave her the scar that tore her back in two.

The night was dark by the time the girl had made her way to the shack. She hesitated for a moment before looking around her. The streets of Hogsmeade were empty and a chilled air had taken most of the street by surprise. Flyers and items packed in a not-so-careful way were thrown to the ground and the grass made a crinkling sound as the girl walked across the tips of the newly born. Trees surrounding the town were made of shadows and the moon illuminated only those who it saw it as doorways and parts of the pathways were covered in darkness while others were shown in the light- pebbles looking like the icing of an angel's cake.

With a sigh, Katarina looked back towards her destination, the doorway and walls of her way shrouded in darkness with only a single splinter or dirt particle showing up in relief. But without a moment to spare, Katarina opened the door to see the inside of what appeared to be an abandoned shack. But things aren't always what they appear to be- out of the darkness came Johan appeared for one and lights flared as she entered the room. For once, her dark attire was not needed as she winced at the light that illuminated her from all sides.

Johan examined Katarina closely. His eyes ran across her face closely- her eyes gave nothing but a heavily held disdain for the elder man with whom she'd had plenty a skirmish. He stepped forward and gave her a smirk,

"Good to see you again, Kat" his drawl caused Katarina's peaceful rhythm to be interrupted with a sharp click,

"You too, Johan" he said in a high-pitched voice, as she said nothing. "Didn't Hogwarts teach you any manners?" he mocked as she still said nothing.

"None you could appreciate" she said finally in a soft voice, Johan smirked. He seemed more war-torn now than he had last time. Most, if not all, of his baby-fat had fled his face and his hair was up in a sleek pony-tail.

"Retained your wit, I see" he said lightly, she remained silent again- gritting her teeth to rein in her famous temper. He lounged comfortably on one foot as he examined her,

"Just like your parents" she heard him mumble under his breath, and her eyes turned utterly cold with malice,

"What did you say?" she gritted out, he smiled,

"I said, you're just like your parents- therefore, worthless" Katarina clenched her fists as he continued,

"You know they begged for survival when they died. They couldn't even hold the bravery to carry their pride onward- what a bunch of worthless people" Katarina curled her toes in an attempt to remain calm but his words had a crushing effect on her gut and though she so wanted to attack, kill, Johan- she just stood there and listened to what he had to say,

"Your parents" he stopped, "were terrible people" he took a second to reflect, "Genetically-wise, you would be as well. They did terrible things and never considered that there are people on the other side" He laughed once,

"You'd think that after being humbled, you would be a tad bit more sensitive to the ideas and ideals that we hold"

Katarina stood, frozen against her better will- unable to say anything as she listened to this rubbish that Johan spewed about her parents.

As he began again, she felt herself go rigid,

"Your sister" he mused, "Such a good lay, but nothing really more to it than that. I didn't think she was anything special" he smirked, "Simply an amusement to me while I prepared for better, more important things"

At his last words- Katarina closed her eyes for one damning moment. As she flashed them open again, she saw Johan striking forward and easily dodged his open attack- moving quickly to stab him in the gut.

The choked cry that he let out was a serenade to Katarina's ears but as she watched him about to faint, she failed to notice the critical object that he held in his hand. With a slash, she saw the metal of his sword meet her stomach.

It was with sickening precision that she watched his blade emerge on the other edge of her stomach, covered in her blood. She gasped as he let a sneer cover his face,

"You should really take me more seriously" he said mockingly, but disappearing while Katarina stood still for a moment. Looking down, she saw the large gash in her abdominal region- closing her eyes again, she took a moment to calm herself before starting to move forward and return to Hogwarts. 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter.

The morning is one of those times of day that all things must either cease or just begin to make an appearance. There was a small sound as Dominique awoke to find someone knocking on the door to the 5th year girls dormitory. Heaving a large yawn and rubbing her eyes, Dominique stood and went to answer the door, it was the Head Girl, Jenna.

"Hi Jenna" Dominique said, stifling yet another yawn,

"Hi Dom" Jenna said wearily, "I just came to tell you all that all classes have been canceled until further notice and that students are not allowed outside of the castle"

Dominique smiled as Jenna left their dormitory, it was absolutely fantastic that they had no classes for the day. Rushing to awake Katarina, Dominique attempted to push the odd girl to wakefullness. Normally Katarina was awake before Dominique even reached her, but today- Katarina looked sound asleep. She poked her friend and began to whisper random things in her ear- but Katarina refused to stir- the shakes and whispering doing nothing but to push the girl on the bed into an even deeper slumber.

Beginning to take concern, Dominique took several more minutes in an attempt to wake her. Finally, however, she gave up and began to start completing her three foot paper concerning the topic on defending oneself against vampires. This activity, however, was to take place while sitting on Katarina's bed.

A few moment later, the fellow rommates began to awaken, one of them finally asking why Dominique why she wasn't getting ready for class,

"Well, it's obvious" Dominique answered, laughing, "Classes were canceled due to the whole murder rubbish"

The rest of the girls began to talk amongst themselves but Irene walked over to Dominique, eager to start up conversation now that Katarina was absent from their presence,

"So Dom" Irene said, "What do you think about the murders?" She sat on some girl's trunk and looked avidly at Dominique- as the Veela winced.

"It's all very interesting, I suppose" she said quickly before turning back to her essay and ignoring Irene as politely as she could. The rest of the girls in the room chatted among themselves and soon, all began to depart. Irene stood quickly and turned to Dominique,

"Gotta go" she said and ran to pretend and follow the other 5th year Gryffindor girls out, as if they had all been friends for the longest time.

Several hours later, Victoire burst into Dominique and Katarina' room,

"Dominique!" she yelled, "Do you have any idea of how worried I've been! I thought you were hurt- don't scare me like that"

Dominique gave Victoire a questioning look,

"What on earth are you talking about, Vic?" Dominique asked, "Why did you think I was hurt, and" she continued, "How did you get here?"

Victoire sat down on the floor near Dominique, obviously just pleased that her younger sister wasn't in any sort of danger.

Dominique's stomach growled and she flushed, but Victoire simply simled and handed her some leftover lunch she had taken from the Great Hall.

She gave Victoire a thankful look, and as she munched-began to talk,

"So what's been going on?" Victoire took a huge breath,

"Well, a lot of blood was found in the entrance hall and the professors are extremely worried about it" she fretted,

"What else?" Dominique asked, but her eyes were on Katarina- who slowly began to stir, finally- her eyes opened,

"Also- I think they are just worried about the Hogsmeade murder" Victoire stated,

"That's a stupid reason for missing class" Katarina commented, and Dominique sprang up to her,

"Kat" she cried, "I was so worried" Katarina shot her a look,

"I was fine, Dom" Dominique smiled knowingly but sat back to listen to Victoire,

"There's more to it then that" Victoire said thoughtfully, "There is something that only the head girls and boys know... I think someone used that blood to write a message that there are unwanted people at Hogwarts"

Katarina became alert, looking closely at Victoire,

"Did it say anything else?" she asked carefully, Victoire shrugged,

"The usual "Mudbloods be Aware""

Katarina sat up know, her concern immediately evident as she winced. Victoire eyes flashed to the clenched fist that Katarina had on her midsection. Dominique continued on,

"Well, I hope this blows over soon"

The girls spent the rest of the day discussing the aspects of the terrible events that were going on at Hogwarts, not to mention the deaths and messages on the chamber wall.

Before long, it was dinner time and the trio began to discuss how they were going to acquire dinner. The first consensus reached was luckily by Dominique,

"I'll bring up dinner for you lazy arseholes" Dominique said, smiling as Victoire and Katarina thanked her profusely.

The Veela stood and excited as Victoire and Katarina sat awkardly together,

"Are you in pain, Kat?" Victoire asked uncomfortably as the odd girl winced again as she sat up a little straighter.

"Of course not" the reply was slightly forced,

"Really, you look uncomfortable" Victoire said in concern,

"Honestly, Vic" Katarina attempted to smile, "I'm perfectly fine, there is nothing wrong with me"

Victoire narrowed her eyes,

"Oh really" and lurched forward but just as she grabbed onto the covers, Katarina jerked them to the side and Victoire's hands flew free in the confusion.

As both composed themselves, Dominique walked in with steaming plates of hearty Hogwarts meals.

"Hi mates" Dominique said cheerfully, oblivious to the tension evident in the room- "Classes are starting tommorrow"

The next morning, Dominique and Katarina headed down to their Defense against the Dark Arts lesson, each having their own opinions about the class. Dominique was very excited, she was prepared to learn more spells designed to enhance herself and impair others. On the other hand, Katarina was not looking forward to it at all. She couldn't use a wand.

As the class started, Professor Edmund smiled down at his favorite student, Dominique Weasley,

"Hi Dom" he said conversationally, "How is life?" Dominique smiled brightly back,

"Quite Excellent, Sir, quite excellent" she replied, and watched as he walked away, ignoring Katarina. She grimaced, she was most likely the worst student in the history of Hogwarts. The only reason that she was not kicked out was because of her extensive knowledge of dark creatures that was especially advantageous to the class because of her explanatory capabilities.

Dominique watched Professor Edmund, her eyes following him as he went to talk to the different students- but soon she realized that the Professor was not as cheery as he appeared at first glance. The laughter lines had begun to fade and deeply sunken bags under his eyes had begun to take their place.

Finally, the class began and as Katarina reached downwards to take parchment and the textbook out of her bookbag, she winced- catching the Professor's attention.

"Are you okay, Ms. Hakai?" he asked but without thought as he turned away before she could let out a "No" through her tightly clenched teeth.

Dominique shot Katarina a curious and worried look but turned back to the front of the room as the Professor began to speak,

"Students, I have been informed by the Headmistress that I am not allowed to cover certain dark creatures in our curriculum any longer"

The class response was almost immediate,

"You're kidding me"

"Aw man!"

"Professor"

"Why"

"But Professor" a whiny voice rose above the rest, "Why?"

Professor Edmund turned to the source of the sound, Irene Wilkins- the mousey-faced girl looked distressed,

"Class" he continued on, oblivious to the outbursts, "We are going to talk about a different type of spell today- ones that are more offensive than defensive"

"Like the ones used in battle?" Irene's voice piped out,

"Yes, Ms. Wilkins. If I could continue...?"

"Sorry" she squeaked out,

"These spells are called Ambustive spells and they are specialized in order for casters to cast many at a time and which can permeate a Protego ward from the inside, but not from the out. These include spells such as Cachexia, Tussis, Phelbiti, Mania a Potu, and Cirri. I realize that most of you have not heard of these spells- and granted, these are generally used in battle"

After a brief lecture on the different spells, Professor Edmund let the class pair up for practice. Obviously, Dominique and Katarina paired and Dominique began,

"Cachexia" Dominique cast, a gray fog pouring out of her wand, it surrounded Katarina and while Dominique could not see what was happening- she heard scratches and scrapes. Worrying, she quickly cast the counter-curse "Exia" and the fog receded, showing the huddled form of Katarina, and as she arose, there were scratches up and down her arms- but her face was impassive.

"Oh Katarina" Dominique said, "Are you alright?" Professor Edmund quickly appeared near the pair, quickly casting "Episkey" on her wounds- making the odd girl stare up at him nervously. As he lectured them on being careful, Katarina watched him carefully- making sure he had not cast some other spell entirely on her.

He walked away, seemingly satisfied that he had lectured them both enough, and Dominique turned to Katarina,

"Don't you want to practice, Kat?" the other girl laughed,

"I'd rather not, if that's all good and fine" she said,

"There's going to be an exam on it, you know" Dominique warned, but Katarina just shook her head,

"Theory is enough for me" she said cheerfully as she readied herself for another blow. As Dominique stood there, calmly tapping her wand against her thigh- she began to revisit her memories of Katarina's spellwork. After a few moments of contemplation, her eyes widened- she had never seen Katarina use a wand.

However, soon- the end of class arrived and the girls began to head to lunch. On their journey to the Great Hall, however, Dominique forced Katarina into an empty classroom near the Gryffindor common room.

"Okay, Kat, spill it" Dominique said aggressively,

"What?" Katarina responded innocently, "Have I done something wrong?"

Dominique ground her teeth,

"Why don't you want to use a wand?" she asked in a much calmer voice. Katarina offered a sad smile,

"My parents never wanted me to use magic, they thought it was destructive and destined to end all whom participated in it"

"Then" Dominique said thoughtfully, "Why are you at Hogwarts- if not for the stellar education"

"My sister" Katarina explained, "The one who is raising me, wanted me to have some exposure to it- not to use- for knowledge only"

Dominique examined Katarina for a moment, contemplating what to do next. There was something Katarina wasn't telling her and it wasn't about magic or her sister... in fact, Dominique was almost sure it had to do with Katarina's parents.

"Kat" she asked, "What are you not telling me?"

There was a silence as Katarina and Dominique looked at eachother.

A scream broke the moment, it seemed to echo around the school, as both girls snapped to attention and ran to see what all the commotion was about.

As they arrived near the Gryffindor Common Room, there was a large crowd of people covering the entrance,

"What is it?" Dominique asked loudly as she attempted to push through, ignoring the comments of "I think I'm going to be sick" that reverberated around the group.

On the wall near the Gryffindor Entrance was a message in blood. The blood was formed in simplistic runes that both Katarina and Dominique could recognize as they both stiffened immediately. It was quite easy to read, the runes being of a Western Germanic variety- and the message was clear.

Your sister has a nice smile.

But before the two girls had time to analyze what had happened, Professors and Prefects gathered everyone- herding them all to the Great Hall. As both stood silently, Katarina noticed as Filch watched them all- making sure that none left the Hall.

The discussions in the groups ranged from conspiracy to Sirius Black but the main idea was the same.

Holy Shit.

Soon, Victoire and Teddy approached the pair- Dominique flying into Victoire's arms,

"Thank god you're alright" she sighed, Victoire soothed her younger sister accordingly, while looking drawn at the rest of the group.

As Dominique stood, Victoire began to speak,

"They're everywhere" she said quietly, "Every House entrance except for Slytherin"

"What do you think they meant by the message?" Dominique said thoughtfully, "There can't be three separate sisters in three different houses related to this"

"Maybe..." Teddy began and drew Dominique to the side as Victoire and Katarina looked at eachother.

Victoire looked curiously at Katarina, her eyes widening in shock to find Katarina's face emotionless,

"Are you okay?" she attempted to say soothingly, putting her arm around Katarina,

"I'm fine" Katarina said quickly, the life coming back into her face as she shook her head slowly, "I just want to get out of here"

Victoire laughed,

"Good luck with that" she said in amusement, "Filch is guarding the doors like a maniac" Katarina looked penetratingly at the old man for a moment before slipping off past the door and escaping his notice. Her footsteps reverberated around the hallways as she silently made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Quickly heading to her trunk, she pulled out a quick first aid kit in order to wrap herself up. Finally, taking a breathe- she pulled up her shirt, wincing as the fabric slid irritably along her gash and tearing what little healing had taken place, off. Taking anti-infection cream and gauze, she began the slow process of rubbing and wrapping.

But as she began, she heard the door slam open,

"Katarina, What on earth were you- Oh my gosh, you're bleeding" Dominique stood in the doorway, her face full of anger changed to concern as she dropped to her knees and began to rub the cream and wrap the cut as Katarina sat there motionless, saying nothing as the Veela quickly and efficiently fixed her wound.

Standing up and helping Katarina get her shirt back on, Dominique stared at her friend of a few months,

"Did you really think no one would notice the signs, Kat?" she said softly,

Katarina avoided her eyes, looking forward,

"It was some man in a mask" she said stiffly, looking straight ahead, "I was going upstairs last night when he jumped out of the shadows- we fought for a moment but he sliced my stomach open" she gestured at the wraps,

Dominique looked stricken,

"Kat, you have to tell me next time" she said, feeling dreadfully betrayed, "You could have contracted an infection and died"

Katarina finally looked at Dominique, the bright blue eyes covered in a filmy sheen that only was a precedent to tears. Sure enough, within seconds, Dominique had enclosed Katarina in a hug as she bawled.

The two sat there for that night, safe within the security of Katarina's bed as they lay- closer than ever.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Dominique awoke. The sounds of birds brought spunk the air around her as she turned to her side to see Katarina. The girl was peacefully slumbering, and it was then that Dominique remembered what had happened yesterday. Quickly feeling Katarina's stomach to ensure the bandages had aided in restoring the flow between the upper and lower parts of her torso.

There was a rustle.

Dominique's hand flew to her wand, pulling it out to face a house-elf. It was Winky, the droopy-eyed and slightly intoxicated House-Elf. She was watching the pair of witches with a slightly disdainful air,

"What do you want, Winky?" Dominique said, but her tone was not as light as the words sounded,

"I didn't know that Mistresses Dominique Weasley and Katarina Hakai were dykes"

Winky said, her air of disdain still evident,

"Winky doesn't approve of such behavior"

the house-elf stated pompously,

"Winky will tell the whole school if such behavior does not stop"

the house-elf looked proudly at Dominique, expecting her to step away from her ailing friend,

Dominique narrowed her eyes, and her wand was now pointing at Winky,

"If Winky tells anyone, I will hex you so that you won't even be able to walk back to the kitchens and then we'll see who is sorry" she let her face take a sickly smile which Winky took a step back from,

Katarina woke up quickly as well, watching the situation unfold was fast and her interpretation was quick as she opened her eyes and focused a death glare upon Winky.

The poor elf almost pissed herself as she ran out of the room.

Good Riddance.

Dominique looked at Katarina, sighing and running a hand along her forehead,

"The whole school is going to find out eventually, Kat" she said quietly, looking at her with desperate eyes,

Katarina sniffed and held up head high,

"So what" she said bitingly, "I don't really care about what the school thinks"

"No me niether" Dominique was quick to agree, but her voice trailed off, "But my parents..."

"Oh I see" Katarina said, and turned,

"What about yours?" Dominique asked, but Katarina just shrugged,

"I haven't given it much thought, to be honest" she said truthfully,

The pair sat there momentarily, but the shrilling cry of the bell interrupted their thoughts, and before long- the pair began to dress and prepare for school.

It wasn't until after dinner that Victoire approached the girls. After a long day of careful steps around eachother- both girls were not in the mood to be entertained. However, Victoire motioned for them both to follow her into a deserted hallway.

"Look Dom, Kat- I don't mean to sound controlling, but I just wanted to let you know that some slytherins look like they are searching for trouble- so I think, for now at least, that this relationship should stay secret"

Dominique shook her head,

"We don't mind if people know, Vic, just as long as mum or dad don't find out"

Victoire looked at Katarina now, giving her a long look- making sure the message was clear.

Katarina nodded shortly- she already knew that she wouldn't let people know if it hurt Dominique.

Victoire nodded once and saying a weak goodbye to both, melted into the shadows. Katarina turned to Dominique, who was staring aimlessly at the floor- grinding her heel into dust on the stone patterns.

"You know this probably isn't a good time to tell anyone, right?" Katarina asked quietly,

"Yeah" said Dominique angrily, "I know- they'd hear about it from a cousin or another source, it's no use"

"Look, it's-" Katarina began but Dominique cut her off,

"Here, it's fine" she said in a softer voice, "Lets check your bandages" and guided Katarina to an empty classroom.

Dominique bent down to check the abdominal region, the bandages had done little to stem the bleeding but infection was out of the question. She took her time gently reapplying gauze and ointment to the wounds to help them heal and soon she was staring at Katarina in the darkened room, both at face height.

She started at Katarina in a sort of haze until she seemed to snap out of it- giving her a naughty glance. Then, without warning, Dominique jumped the assasin- laughing gaily as the girl gave a feminine squeak as she was thrown to the floor. Soon, they were kissing- no- snogging, their tongues fighting for dominance as they rolled around on the floor together.

Several hours later, both reappeared from the room- slightly dusty and out of breath. They both walked slowly and leisurely up to the dormitories, and before retreating to their respective bed curtains- shot eachother a secret glance before retiring for the night.

-

A few weeks later, it was spring. The snow that had taken up permanent residence on the branches of trees in the Forbidden Forest and the turrets on the many edges of the castle walls had begun to melt. The icy water dripping down the sides of the castle shone in the lazy sunlight as sparks and sputters of green erupted from the grounds. The unusual amount of storms had acheived nothing but a quicker growth for the plants and trees of the magical area.

All was silent among the castle walls, and the air seemed to float silently along corridors and passageways, as the students gathered across the school grounds at the pitch for the quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin

The green and red blots of color streaked through the air as the announcer bellowed and roared into the microphone. Commentary aside, the game was not quite ready to start, but already- the teams were performing acrobatics on their broomsticks to impress the fans.

It was now that Dominique and Katarina arrived.

"Okay- for the fifth time- Kat, quidditch really isn't that hard to grasp. It's really easy to understand even if it's not that easy to play. There are 7 players on each side, 3 of them are called chasers. This ball is the quaffle. The chasers throw the quaffle to one another and try to score it into one of the three hoops, they score 10 points every time they get it through one of the hoops. Now there's another player on each side of the team called the Keeper. They fly around their team's hoop and try to keep the other team from scoring. The other two black balls are called the bludgers, they rocket around the pitch trying to knock players off of their brooms. Each team has 2 beaters, who try and hit the bludgers away from out team and hit them towards the other team. And the last member of the team is the Seeker, they don't have to worry about the quaffle or the bludgers, all they do is look for the snitch"

Katarina shook her head laughing, "Yeah, that's not going to stay in my short term memory or long term memory" as she contemplated the idea of actually playing a sport on broomsticks.

Finally, the two arrived and took their seats and watched as the game begun. They looked on avidly as Madamn Hooch threw up the quaffle into the air and released the snitch and bludgers. The Chasers began to fight for the quaffle as the seekers looked for the snitch.

All of a sudden, the headmistress ran onto the field. She began to wave her arms shouting something as Madam Hooch halted the game.

"Everyone inside immediately" she was yelling- as finally, the student body roused themselves to go back inside as she dictated it. The professors began to follow her as all of the heads of houses made sure that their respective students made it back safetly to their common rooms.

Back in the common room, Dominique and Katarina were told that dinner would be brought to them as the prefects were called to patrol the hall. 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Dear Bill,

I thought I'd update you with some of the problems surrounding the investigation of the murders that have recently taken place. Although there are been no murders since the one near your home- we should obviously still remain alert- please tell Fleur, Dominique, Louis and Victoire to stay safe.  
I'm thinking that we should keep the raise of the Order not official business as of yet. Definitely should not recruit more members and keep this strictly between us. However, the Order should definitely continue to meet in order to figure out what is going on.

Stay safe

Harry

-

Springtime had arrived at Hogwarts and the grounds had finally transformed into a vivid hillside of green. The trees that were earlier icy and leaf-less now were brilliant in their colors and bold in their statements. It was here that Katarina and Dominique could be found.

They sat next to a secluded tree doing homework, the veela and the assassin in harmony. The lake was to their right as the cleverly constructed hills hid their secret relationship from the world as the cozied up together under the tree.

But, what was special about the homework session the two were inhabiting was the annoying yet somehow incredibly sweet habit of snogging every couple of minutes.

They talked about their classes, all of them, but especially the Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"I love that class" Dominique was saying, "I find it fascinating- the amount of practice we actually do versus theory. But" and here she frowned, bringing her eyebrows together at the tip, "what does confuse me is the excessive amount of offensive spells that we learn compared to the defensive spells, Also" and she frowned even more, "Spells that we are learning are far more advanced than the 5th year level" she laughed, and brushed off a speck of dirt that had appeared on her shoe.

"I wonder why he hates you so much?" she continued on, laughing,

"Who knows" Katarina said, smiling, "But it's probably why I'm failing the class"

They both laughed.

Then conversation turned as the girls began to discuss the potions class, especially Philip Zabini.

"Have you noticed how odd Philip has been acting?"  
Katarina asked, contemplating the Slytherin,

"A bit" Dominique said quietly, "I'm slightly worried about him, to be perfectly honest"

There was a second of silence, then a

"Me too" escaped Katarina's lips.

They sat in silence again, until the night came- and they were forced to retreat to the castle.

-

The pair walked to dinner together, holding hands in the most secretive manner. As they sat down, Victoire and Teddy joined them, Victoire hoisting a worried expression. Almost immediately, Victoire turned to Dominique,

"Have you received any post from mum or dad?" she asked anxiously, "It's been almost two weeks now, this just isn't like them"

Dominique let a frown grace her face as she started to think,

"Maybe they are working with Uncle Harry or something?" she offered, but Victoire shook her head,

"Something is wrong, or they just aren't telling us something" Dominique tried to smile, albeit not very successfully, but tried to comfort her sister,

"How about this Victoire- I'll write to them tomorrow and if they don't reply in a couple days time then I'll write Uncle Harry or Aunt Hermione- she almost always writes to me"

Victoire let a lopsided grin spread across her face,

"I can always count on you, Dom"

As the sisters conversed, Katarina simply observed. Her actions had been far too bold lately, she decided, and the way to deal with that was a simple bout of observation. While she let her eyes fall on the crescendos and decrescendos of the human interaction around the room, she smiled at Dominique.

But all too soon, she noticed something wrong with the picture. A group of 5th, 6th and 7th year Slytherins, including Augustus, were all talking in a hushed manner and looked wartorn. Narrowing her eyes, she attempted to listen in on their conversation, but the sheer amount of people inhabiting the Hall made it near-impossible. She smiled again as Dominique attempted to engage her in conversation.

Eventually, the assasin let herself be drifted upwards by the steady flow of conversation with Dominique.

"Do you notice those Slytherins?" she asked, as Dominique finished speaking. The girl looked startled as she looked over to the green and silver table,

"I suppose so" she said, rather perplexed, "I wonder why they look so stressed and exhausted" she let it sit for a second before finishing the thought, "We probably shouldn't worry about it" She rolled her eyes, "There was a lot of homework from DADA last night"

Katarina coughed.

"Was there..?" Dominique laughed,

"Let's get started then, before we look just like them"

They left the great hall, walking slowly to their favorite classroom in regards to both homework and extracurricular activities. As they walked down the deserted corridors, Dominique didn't notice anything amiss.

Katarina, however, was a different story.

With every corner they turned and every slip on the stone that her or Dominique's shoe made, a flash of yellow eyes dissected the night and making Katarina's heart beat faster than it ever had before. 


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: We do not own anything affliated directly with Harry Potter

Dominique sat alone in the large oak tree by the lake. The afternoon sun was beginning to turn a vivid red-orange as the trees leaves began to lose their heat from the sun. The veela was alone today because Katarina was in detention with Professor Edmund, not that it was a surprise to anyone.

Dominique had known for a fact, that since at least the first day of class- Katarina would be in a detention with the teacher she so despised. She was sorry it had to be on so lovely a day, but the deserted grounds provided her with the perfect respite she had been seeking.

But then a creeping feeling began to rise in Dominique. Her stomach churned as she threw suspicious looks over her shoulder and behind her back until she felt almost tingly in anticipation of a "something" that had yet to occur. Suddenly, as she turned around, and turned back- her heart beating out of her chest- a figure stood in front of her, blocking her view of the sun. The figure laid a hand on her shoulder, and Dominique knew no more.

As if stirring from a century-long slumber, Dominique woke up, distoriented and confused. Her hair was fraught with leaves and the sky above her was dark and covered with trees. One second later, there was a figure looming over her as she began to stand up. About to scream, Dominique took a moment to identify her attacker.

The dirty blonde hair and silver eyes looked heart-achingly familiar, but the silver streaks in Katarina's hair were replaced by angry red streaks that dominated this person's hair, and, Dominique thought sarcastically to herself- probably her personality.

"Well" the girl said impatiently, "Are you going to scream or not?"

Dominique's mouth clamped shut, and the girl nodded satisfactorially,

"Excellent, then we can bypass the formalities" she held out a hand, "I'm Klara, Katarina's older sister"

Dominique took her hand and shook it, examining her facial structures, and nodding her head,

"You two do seem to resemble eachother" she said thoughtfully, but moved to more pressing matters, "Why and How did you get here?" she asked,

Klara ignored her and shot her a withering glare,

"What the hell are you doing with my sister?"

The question came as a shock to Dominique,

"Wha-wha What are you talking about?" she stuttered, "I'm not doing anything with her"

Klara narrowed her eyes,

"What if I don't believe you" she said with deadly force,

The two stood here for what felt like hours, Klara glaring at Dominique. Finally, as if a miracle had occurred, there was a rustle in the bushes. Dominique shot a frightened look towards Klara, worried that yet another relative of Katarina would appear.

But as the bushes were moved aside, Katarina was revealed, smiling at her sister and running to hug her, not noticing Dominique. After the tight embrace, Katarina looked over her shoulder to see Dominique,

"Klara, why are you holding Dominique hostage?"

Klara smiled and let loose a string of a foreign language sounding like German, to which Katarina let out a humph. Rolling her eyes, Katarina replied in the unknown language while glaring at her sister. The glares lasted for less than a minute until they were both smiling at one another again, until Katarina looked offhand, said,

"I had a little run-in with Johan"

Klara's eyes grew wide,

"What happened? Meine Liebe, the things that could have happened to you!"

Dominique coughed quietly,

"Um excuse me, but who is Johan"

Katarina looked at Dominique speculatively, and then shot a look at her sister, whom answered,

"One of my ex's"

Dominique raised her eyebrow at the quick response but said nothing, knowing the lack of answers she would recieve would frustrate her.

In the meantime, Katarina looked at Klara,

"Dominique and I are together" she said boldly, "I will protect her whatever the cost" and at this she looked Klara straight in the eyes, but if she was expecting a glare, she didn't receive one.

A slightly lopsided smile worked its way onto Klara's face- the barely noticeable dimples making an appearance on her drawn face.

"It's a family thing" she said affectionately, and looked at Dominique critically,

"I am not here, and you have never met me" Dominique acquiesed, watching with wide eyes as Klara gave Katarina a bone-crushing hug and slipping her a piece of parchment. Then without warning, she waved to the pair and vanished without a pop.

Dominique turned to Katarina, attempting to forgo the undeniably awkward explanation of what had just occured and the absolute confusion of transportation,

"If we leave now" she suggested, "We could make it on time to the Hogsmeade trip"

Katarina smiled and looped an arm around Dominique,

"I appreciate the reminding of time, Dom"

A while later, the two were enjoying the Hogsmeade trip. Despite the enjoyable afternoon being disrupted by the introduction of Klara to their lives- Dominique and Katarina were having an excellent time.

As they began to snog in one of the many back alleyways of the magical town, they heard a noise and gasp. Both turned quickly to see whom it was.

Oddly enough, it was a girl which niether of them had either seen before. Her eyes were a deep brown but her skin was a deathly pale, as if white transculent paper had been stretched across her bones.

"Hello" she said cheerfully, "I'm Ophelia"

There was a silence as both Dominique and Katarina stared at her wide-eyed.

"Don't say anything to anymore, yeah?" Katarina finally said,

Ophelia nodded,

"Of course not" she said, "I would never"

Dominique smiled at her and all three girls prepared to return to Hogwarts.

However, things didn't didn't really start to move quickly until the middle of the night. As per her usual sleep schedule, Katarina was up and sneaking out of the window in the dormitory by the time it had chimed 12.

As she swiftly ran, she reached a clearing in the forbidden forest, she saw Klara standing on the other side. A smile broke out across her face as she fell into her sister's arms once more,

"Oh Klara" she sighed, "I really have missed you"

Klara let out a soft sigh, while rubbing small circles on her younger sisters back,

"I know, ma liebe, I know"

Realizing the inevitibility of the conversation occurring, Katarina began to tell Klara of her confrontation with Johan. Her sisters expressions ranged from angry to furious to downright cold. Finally, Katarina was finished with her story,

"I'm going to kill him" Klara said softly, but Katarina held a restraining hand on her shoulder,

"He's mine" she said just as softly, before clearing her throat,

"So, is there any news from home?"

Klara sighed, running her fingers through her hair,

"Things are getting worse" she said, her voice losing some of its ardor, "There are so many random kidnapping and you can never be sure that you are safe. The wizards have only a small amount of time before..." and she let her voice trail off, staring meaningfully at Katarina.

Gathering her thoughts, she engulfed Katarina in another hug before standing,

"I have to go" she said, frowning, "there are things I have to attend to" Katarina nodded stiffly, stepping back.

But then Klara's eyes softened,

"It's ok that you and Dominique are together" she said, "it's always just to fight for something that you love"

They stood there hugging for a little while longer, neither willing to let go but eventually- Klara disentangled herself from her younger sister,

"You know I have to return to Germany"

Katarina nodded,

"I have to rest, but you" and she narrowed her eyes at Katarina, "Need to train more, so that the next time you run into Johan- it will be his last time"

Katarina nodded again, albeit stiffer than before.

As her sister disappeared quickly into the trees, Katarina stared up at the stars in wonder. As one bright light travelled through the starry skies- she watched as the sun began to light up the sky, the sunrise giving her the strenght to lift her weary feet and sneak back into the Hogwarts Castle.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: We do not own anything affliated directly with Harry Potter

Irene tapped her toes impatiently on the floor the Common Room, waiting for the appearance of one, Winky the House Elf. Finally, at a quarter of 6, said house elf entered the room, the crack snapping the dozing girl to attention.

"What's up Winky?" she said authoritatively, raising her eyebrows,

Winky raised her own eyebrows at the arrogant human before sniffing,

"I saw Missus Dominique and Katarina being romantically involved in their dormatories" she wrinkled her nose, "I did not like it, not one bit"

Irene's eyes widened and she gasped in surprise, her mouth gaping before suddently snapping shut. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she set her rapidly working brain to the task, as the idea drew clearer.

She would have to blackmail them.

With a smirk, she walked into the library dazedly, plans forming to haphazardly break up the secret couple.

Katarina and Dominque were walking to Potions class. The unlikely duo chattered along about nothing in particular as they loomed closer to the classroom.

"I can't wait for the 5 foot essay due on potions that can defend a wizard from a vampire attack" Dominique said excitedly, while Katarina rolled her eyes,

"Honestly Dom, you'd think you were a Ravenclaw, the way you behave"

Dominique laughed as they entered the classroom, excited to arrive early. Soon, though she noticed Katarina silent from shock upon their entry, she had turned to see the young girl from Hogsmeade, Ophelia, smiling at the them as they entered the room.

However, it wasn't truly her that drew their attention. It was, in fact, the appearence of a beautiful painting of a woman and a man. While the woman looked fairly innocent, the man looked evil. They were moving and the man was glaring at Katarina, in the turn, the woman was glaring at the man. As the the girl stared curiously at the portrait, their sight was interrupted by the appearance of Ophelia as she passed in front of painting disarmingly and smiled,

"Thank you sir, for the potions" she said charmingly though her eyes strayed to Katarina and Dominique.

She sidled out of the classroom, and while Katarina and Dominique watched her leave with narrowed eyes, the other students noticed nothing. Their attention was caught by the professor who entered the room.

"Hello class" he said jovially, "We will be using the entire class to create the Potion to repel Vampires"

As they all settled down, the class began and the lot of them began to work.

The dinner bell approached quickly, and it was nearly no time at all before the young couple entered the dining hall. Irene approached them innocently, smiling.

"Kat" she said pleasantly, "Would you come to talk to me outside for one second...alone?"

As they exited the hall, Irene turned on Katarina, her face split in an evil grin,

"Don't think I don't know about your little affair with Katarina" she said, "I want you to whatever I tell you, and I won't tell anyone" she added arrogantly

Katarina said nothing as Irene continued,

"You have to let me eat lunch with you and Dom, and you have to stay away while I repair our friendship-" Irene hummed for a second, "You know what?" she said, "Just stay away from her"

Katarina raised one eyebrow before slamming her into the wall,

"No Irene" she said even-toned, "You are the one who needs to stay away from Dominique"

Irene quivered in her boots, tearing herself from Katarina's grasp and running from the scene. Katarina, herself, gave a rather twisted smile and walked back to the dining hall.

"What was that?" Dominique asked as she chowed down on some food,

"Oh nothing" Katarina said airily, "Just clearing up some business"

Dominique raised her eyebrow but said nothing.

Irene sat in the corner, shivering slightly.

Her cowered form shook as she cried and cursed the entity who was Katarina.

"I swear to you, Katarina" she said vengefully, "I will make your life hell" as she broke down crying again, and added in a tear-filled whisper, "Even though I don't know how"

Next Day: Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom

Katarina and Dominique sat side by side in the classroom. Irene glared at the pair from a nearby seat but said nothing, as Professor Edmund walked in.

"Hello Class" he said brightly, "Today we are going to be learning about a difficult spell that can be used to defend yourself from some dark creatures"

He hopped down from his desk and made a coordinated flourish with his wand, yelling out "Furriguni"

A dark shield erupted from his maple wand that covered his entire body and emanated a menacing aura. As it dissipated, he turned back to the class.

"Well" he said patiently, "What are you waiting for? Permission?"

There was a scrambling as the class stood as a whole and awkwardly yelled "Furriguni" as the professor continued to write the wand movements on the board in a pattern so that it was evident, exactly what it would be if correctly produced.

As they walked to lunch, the pair encountered Augustus. He seemed angry as he glared at Katarina, spitting out

"Demon murderer, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Dominique stood there in shock and turned to Katarina to see her reaction, it was blank face. Katarina observed both Dominique and Augustus while the Slytherins watched them from the shadows.

"Let's go Dominique, we're going to be late for lunch" and pushed through the crowd of Slytherins, giving Dominique a look that accompanied a whispered "not now" as they continued through.

As they entered the Great Hall, both Dominique and Katarina noticed some of the elder Slytherins looking at the pair with hatred. They sat down with the same crowd, Victoire and Teddy.

"What did you do to piss off the Slytherins?" Victoire asked interestedly,

"Oh nothing" Teddy said innocently, "Just a quick threesome with Zabini gone wrong"

Katarina laughed as Dominique and Victoire hit him upside the head,

"Oh leave him alone" she said with amusement,

Dominique turned to Victoire,

"Right sis, you've got to hear about what happened outside the Great Hall, Kat and I..." She continued on and tell Victoire about the confrontation they participated in outside.

"Kat" Teddy said, "Did you hear about my Auror application?" and taking no for an answer, he contined "Well I got into the program and I get to start training soon, I'm really excited" he smiled,

Katarina smiled and nodded in congratuations, not knowing what an Auror was, exactly.

"Hm, and also" Teddy continued, munching on his lunch with vigor, "Did I tell you about what was happening outside of the school that my dad has been telling me and all that?"

Katarina's eyebrows shot up, "No" she said, But go on" she said, noting Victoire and Dominique's attention turn to their conversation as well.

"Well" Teddy said, a bit flabbergasted about the attention he was receiving, "What I've heard so far is that the murders are more than just your normal bloodbath. It's all predetermined and has a specific strategical manner. But some of these were like a mad man commited those crimes. Their ring fingers were removed" he looked ill as he patted a similarly colored Victoire on the back. Dominique was shocked while Katarina was emotionless. However, inside the young girl, thoughts were flying at the speed of light, something big was going to happen.

As lunch ended, the young couple headed to their next class when they ran into Professor Edmund.

"Oh hello Professor" Dominique said cheerfully while Katarina nodded at him,

"Hello Dominique, Katarina" he said, before turning solely to Dominique,

"I was wondering" he started, "Dominique, given your proficiency in my class, if you'd like to learn some advanced spells with me as your tutor?" Dominique raised her eyebrows questioningly,

"I cleared it with your teachers" he said quickly, and Dominique sighed, looking at Katarina silently if it was o.k. with her to attend. Katarina gave a short nod, signifying her acceptance as Dominique turned brightly back to the Professor.

"I'd love to Professor" she said happily, winking at Katarina as she walked off towards towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts room.

Katarina smiled and headed off to all of her classes, distracted by thoughts of what Augustus might know. Her mind was solely focused on determining this goal. Finally, sick of being told to pay attention, she simply didn't attend classes, and went off to find out exactly what Augustus Crinchlow was up to.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter

Betty Clearwater burst into the 5th year girls dormitory, her tone haggard and frightened as she caught her breathe,

"Everybody go to the Common Room immediately"

Whispers were shared all around as the group of girls got out of bed and headed to the Common Room. Dominique herded over to Katarina , asking in a low voice if she knew what was going on,

"It's four in the morning" Katarina said quietly, "What makes you think I know anything what is going on?"

Dominique shrugged and noticed at the moment that Katarina looked tired and as if she had gotten no sleep at all.

When they reached the Common Room, all the students looked tired and panicked. Finally, Dominique asked a 6th year what was going on.

The girl blanched and said quietly, "A student was murdered"

Dominique gasped, and turned to Katarina, who though first emotionless, feigned a shocked gasp.

Professor McGonagall came into the Common Room to take role. She looked troubled, the first sign that Hogwarts wasn't safe, as she answered a 7th year's question of why they were taking role.

The head girl gulped and quickly told the prefects what happened,

"There was a murder" she said quietly, "A rather graphic one" and her face turned a pale shade. Irene stepped out from the shadows and a disgusted look filled her face,

"They couldn't find the head" and vomited all over the floor.

Silence took over the Gryffindor Common Room as the students came to the conclusion that had been forming in everyone's minds as this meeting was started... Hogwarts wasn't safe anymore.

"That's enough" Professor McGonagall yelled, "Students please return to bed"

As everyone returned to bed, Dominique approached the hassled Professor,

"Professor" she asked hesitantly, "Could you tell Victoire that Louis and I are fine"

Professor McGongall smiled,

"Of course dear" she said kindly, "Could you tell your father that I would love to"

"What does that mean?" Dominique asked,

"Nothing dear, off to bed with you" the Professor said,

Dominique turned around, looking for Katarina, and saw her sitting by the fire. As she walked over, she could have sworn she saw the girl she was ever so fond of, touching the fire, but dismissed the vision as some version of sleep deprivation.

She sat down next to Katarina,

"Why would someone remove the head off of a body?" she asked quietly,

Katarina said nothing, looking at Dominique,

Dominique looked back, reflecting on the strange behavior before coming to the conclusion that Katarina knew something,

"We should get to bed, a long day awaits us tomorrow" Dominique said quietly, "Come"

Later at the Burrow

The Order sat around the kitchen table in obvious distaste.

"There was a murder at Hogwarts" Professor McGonagall said quickly, she sighed and buried her head in her arms, "It isn't safe anymore"

Everyone gasped, and there was a commotion as every parent and grandparent brought their concerns to light.

What precautions were being taken?

How were the students taking it?

What were the teachers doing?

Bill interceded on the Professors behalf,

"Isn't Harry there, Minerva?"

"Yes" she saidin relief, "He's investigating the murder... and trying to find the head"

Silence permeated the Burrow.

"What is happening to our society?" George asked, helplessness evident in his tone,

"I don't know" Bill answered wearily, "But whatever it is, it will not be good"

"Parents are starting to take their children out of school" McGonagall continued,

"Is Hogwarts safe?" Bill questioned,

"This has been the second murder at Hogwarts aside from all of the battles" she let a pause commence, "It is no longer safe"

"What do we know about the murders anyways?" Bill asked, desperation laced in his voice.

Back at Hogwarts things were not going so well. Nightmares were in every corner of the castle as Professors attempted to keep students from wandering the halls and ferried the majority of them back to their classrooms. Parents flowed in and out of the school, trying to take their children home, failing and succeeding in many an instance.

Professor Edmund found Dominique and Katarina in the hallway talking to Victoire, he towered above them as he asked,

"What are you doing here girls?, You aught to be in your Common Room"

"I was telling them that our parents would like to take us out of Hogwarts" Victoire started,

"But we would not like to leave" Dominique shot out, glaring at Victoire,

"Well you both should comply with your parent's wishes" Professor Edmund said, glaring at Katarina before turning to Dominique,

"I would like to give you this book" Dominique smiled and leafed through it, before frowning slightly and passing back the book to the Professor,

"Thank you professor, but the runes in this book are too complex for me to understand"

The professor smiled and walked away, as Victoire and Dominique continued debating about what will happen when their parents arrive.

In the meantime, Katarina caught up with Professor Edmund,

"Why were you giving her that book?" Katarina demanded

"So she can protect herself, from people like you"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you are not an everyday wizard, if that is what you are talking about?"

Katarina glared at him,

"I am a witch"

The professor was about to say something else when Bill approached them,

"Edmund" Bill said smoothly, "Good to see you again"

"Likewise Bill" Professor Edmund said,

Suddenly, there was loud yelling in French that could be heard in the distance,

"Sorry about that" Bill said sheepishly, "The girls really wanted to stay" and he turned to Katarina, "Kat, what are you doing here?"

"Just talking to the Professor, Mr. Weasley" Katarina said quietly,

"Dominique mentioned your sister was out of the country again, so we will be taking you out of school again, if that is ok with you?"

"That's fine" Katarina said, smiling. She returned to the group of females yelling in french and leaned against the wall, observing the futile argument.

"I heard the order got back together" Edmund said quietly,

"You heard right' Bill seemed pleased, "Are you interested in joining, Harry would like it if you did"

"I would love to, but how much information have you gathered about the murders?"

"Not a lot, we have reason to believe that these murders are connected to eachother in some way"

"You are probably correct" the proffesor admitted, "do you know if one person committed the murders or if it was multiple people?"

Bill shook his head no while the background noise between the females ceased to the conclusion of two looking pissed and one looking pleased.

"The next meeting is tonight at the Burrow" and he turned toward his two daughters and Katarina, "Get ready to pack, your brother should be almost done by now"

Victoire smiled at her father and turned to head to Ravenclaw Common Room to pack. Dominique also hugged her dad and mum, walking with Katarina to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Later that night at Shell Cottage, Dominique and Bill sat in the living room, silently observing eachother.

"What is going on, dad?" and she narrowed her eyes, "Don't lie to me"

"We have reason to believe the murders were not random, these people were targeted" Bill answered,

"I though that might be the case, but who is we?"

"Don't tell your mother I'm telling you this" Bill warned,

"I won't, I promise"

"The Order is back together"

"I want to help" Dominique said immediately,

"You can't, you're too young"

"Uncle Harry did when he was my age"

"That's Harry, and you are my daughter, this is too dangerous"

"I'm the best in my Defense class, you can ask the Professor- we were even doing more advanced magic then when Uncle Harry was in School"

"That doesn't mean you are qualified to join The Order" he was quiet

"I can't lose you"

"What if there is a third wizarding war?" Dominique asked

"That isn't likely, and even if there was, you aren't fighting and that's final"

He stood up and yelled at Fleur that he is going to Harry's house, and quickly flooed away before Dominique could say anything.

Dominique stormed upstairs and went into her room. Flopping herself onto the bed, she yelled into her pillow until her voice was hoarse. After a moment or two, she realized that Katarina wasn't there.

She quickly traveled to Victoire's room, popping her head in the door to ask a question,

"Have you seen Kat?" Victoire looked up to see Dominique and shook her head,

"Oh and Dom" she said as her sister made to leave, "I'm in charge because Mum and Dad have a meeting at Grandma and Grandpa's house"

"Fine, whatever" Dominique said, rolling her eyes, "But where is Kat?"

She turned and yelled for her mother,

"Mum" she said, and waited patiently, as Fleur stepped out of her room and kissed Dominique on the top of the head.

"Kat went for a walk outside, ma cherie" she said gently,"But I need to get going now, ze Order is waiting for me, and darling" she said quietly, "Don't go wandering in ze dark"

Dominique grudgingly acquiesced as she watched her mother rush downstairs and floo to the Burrow.

Several hours later, Katarina returned to the house. As she entered silently, the last thing she expected to see was an angry and worried Dominique,

"Where the bloody hell were you and why the bloody hell are you sweating?"

"I went for a run" Katarina said camly,

"For 5 hours?" Dominique said angrily

"Yes, I always go running for that long"

"When? and Why the bloody hell are you covered in bruises?"

"I was thinking too deeply and hit a couple of branches?" Katarina said smoothly,

Dominique glared at her for several minutes,

"You are sleeping on the floor tonight" she said coldly and walked away, leaving Katarina by the door looking lost.

Dominique went straight to her sisters room and told Victoire what happened,

"I just don't know what to do Vic?" She said, almost in tears, "I know she lied to me, but I don't know what to do?

Meanwhile, Katarina went to the bathroom and showered. By the time she exited the bathroom, Dominique still wasn't in her bedroom. She set up her make-shift bed on the floor and tried to think about whether or not she should tell Dominique about who she really was. Was it worth it?


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter

The next day Dominique waited in the living room and thought about the events of last night. While she waited for Katarina to come downstairs, she looked out of the window hopelessly. Her mother and father were evidently in the middle of a serious conversation that Dominique hoped, was not life-altering. She pondered if her life was about to change drastically with the emergence of the Order, as her parents became tense and worried all the time. Then, Dominique heard someone come down the stairway, and looked past the window.

It was Katarina.

The girl smiled and held out her hand,

"Can we take a walk?"

As the couple reached the beach, silence still permeated their every movement, finally Katarina opened her mouth.

"I'm sorry"

"What were you really doing for five hours yesterday?" Dominique asked,

"I really was on run, I just.. got lost in woods"

"I know there is something you aren't telling me, something that goes beyond these mysterious 5 hour runs"

There was a silence where Katarina chose to say nothing before electing to say,

"Look, Dom" she pleaded, "Please believe me when I say there is nothing going on. I just enjoy running. I promise I won't go running for a long time because I now understand that you are worried about me"

"Yeah, you're right. But how can you not be worried about you?"

Katarina smiled and sat down, getting Dominique to join her,

"Let's talk"

The rest of the day was spent with both Dominique and Katarina lovingly detailing parts of their lives. The couple would never be the light and carefree one that existed in many a school home, but it was evident that if there were moments like these, moments that defied the dark times descending upon them, there was a chance at light and a chance at hope.

Because if normalcy could be stopped and something special could be introduced to the environment, darkness wouldn't need to be defined any longer.

Meanwhile, at shell cottage; Bill and Fleur argued.

"Bill, there iz something wrong with these murders something doesn't add up" Fleur said, hugging her arms to her stomach

"I know, how the bloody hell does a murder occur at Hogwarts in the first place?" Bill said angrily,

"Not just zat, Bill, but all of ze murders, ze blood involved"

"I understand what you mean, sweetheart, the blood is rather odd, what do you think it could mean, these murders?"

Fleur was about to answer when the Floo system alerted the pair as Harry Potter stepped through.

"Bill, I need to speak with you immediately" Harry said seriously,

"Of course" and directed Harry immediately to his office, kissing Fleur on the cheek, before ushering her out.

Harry said down, holding his head in his hands,

"We've found the head of the victim, his uncle was found murdered outside of your home"

"Crinchlow's nephew?" Bill asked,

"Augustus Crinchlow, 5th year Slyterin, his head was found in the forbidden forest hanging from the branch of a tree, near where the centaurs live"

Bill blanched, "That's awful"

"It gets worse" Harry said emotionlessly, "I spoke to Maimon, the centaur that was willing to speak with me, and he said that the creature who deposited the head was not a wizard, something much darker than anything we have ever witnessed"

"What did Maimon mean? Like another dark lord? Like worse than Voldemort?" Bill said, flailing for answers,

"I believe so" Harry said darkly, "But then he also said that there are darker ones than our murderer out there"

"Harry, this doesn't look good. I have a strange feeling that there is going to be war between us and these "dark creatures"

"But what are these dark creatures and why are they appearing now?" Harry said in frustratingly,

"I have no idea, but I do know..." Bill began but was interrupted by Victoire slamming open the door,

"I know the order has regrouped and Teddy, Dom and I will join sooner or later!" she said angrily, and stormed out, mumbling under her breathe,

Bill collapsed in his chair, looking helplessly at Harry.

Victoire headed upstairs and compard her finding to what she found out from the parents. In her room, she looked at a book of dark creatures that she stole from the Hogwarts library. As she leafed through the pages, she came upon a creature known as a "Shinnku".

She read the blurb about Shinnku's in the book just to make certain,

"These dark creatures are known as the Shinnku. They appear as humans most of the time and cannot use wands nor magic. Many of these creatures have special unknown powers and are extremely dangerous to approach. If you are approached, attempt to not battle unless highly skilled in the arts that are known to these dark magical creatures. Shinnku are impossible to discern from normal humans and are skilled in weaponry.

"Hmmm" Victoire mumbled to herself, "there is barely any information on these creatures"

But as she made to put the book and notes away, Dominique burst into her room, looking both happy and confused.

Dominique went over to her sister's bed, and before she can talk to her sister about what she thinks Katarina is hiding, she notices the book and notes. She quickly grabs both to read,

"Please don't touch that!" Victoire said, a bit cross,

"What is all of this about?" Dominique asked

"Just research" Victoire lied unconvincingly,

"I know Ravenclaws are smart and all, but they are not known to do research for fun"

Victoire rolled her eyes at Dominique,

"What is this really about, Vic? I am sick of being lied to"

"Fine, I have been having this feeling that there is something evil waiting to take over... or something else, I'm not quite sure" she trailed off, "I know it sounds crazy" she admitted,

"No" Dominique said quietly, "I know what you mean, That's why I have been studying advanced defense with Professor Edmund. Why have you been researching dark creatures?"

"I have been observing mum and dad and listening to their conversations" Victoire said casually,

"That's not like you, to do the dirty work?"

"I know" Victoire said, raising her eyebrows, "that's your job, but you have been a bit occupied lately, so I attempted to take over your job and trust me" she let a pause take hold, "I'm not very good at it"

"Why did they catch you? Dominique asked, worriedly

"Not yet" Victoire admitted, "But how can we join the order? I'm sick of sneaking around for this information"

"I haven't quite figured it out yet" Dominique said, frowning. "But we need to, and soon"


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter

Katarina awoke suddenly, it was nightfall after her memorable conversation with Dominique. She found that her friend was really one of a kind. However, she ignored those thoughts in return to letting in the black and blue owl pecking on the window of Dominique's bedroom.

"What the bloody hell is that thing?" she said in a drowsy tone.

Dominique awakened quickly, her sensitivity to Katarina's light sleeping and jerking, opened her eyes to find herself looking out the window at the family owl, Grint.

Dominique gave Katarina a funny look as she got up to look him inside,

"That's Grint, our family owl"

"It's quite frightening" Katarina commented,

"Haven't you ever seen one? How do you communicate with people?"

"We use messenger animals, like wolves, snakes, crows and dogs"

"They don't use owls in Germany?" Dominique inquired,

Katarina hesitated for a moment,

"Our family has always been a bit odd" she concluded,

"You know, you are going to have to elaborate on that later" she said conversationally as she let Grint in, she noted a note tied to his leg and opened it.

Fleur,

Something has come up. I can't say more now, but please get to the Burrow immediately, Don't tell the kids.

Love you,

Bill

Dominique smiled and looked a Katarina sideways,

"Go get dressed and ready for the day, I'll be back in a second"

While Katarina got dressed, Dominique rushed over to Victoire's room to tell her about the note. As the three girls finished getting dressed, they quickly left the note in the kitchen and flooed through to the Burrow.

As they exited the fireplace, they came face-to-face to Molly. Dominique and Victoire hurried over and gave her a hug,

"Hello girls" she said, smiling fondly, "What are you two doing here?"

"We came for the meeting" Dominique said with certainty,

"You aren't old enough" Molly said immediately,

"Well, we both have been doing a lot of research and might be able to shed some light on the situation"

"Your father, Ronald, Harry, Hermione and George are doing quite enough research as it is" Molly said strictly,

At that point, Bill and George walked into the living room, not to find their wives, but Bill's children,

"What are you doing here?" Bill said exasperatedly,

"We will join the order, dad" Victoire said,

"Not this again!"

"We just want to help out" Dominique cut in

"This is dangerous, too dangerous" Bill said firmly,

"Not knowing and understanding is more dangerous" Dominique said

"What do you have in your hands?" Harry asked,

"These are our notes" Victoire cut out,

"Let me see those" Harry said,

"You can be serious, Harry" Bill said, "They're just children"

Harry read through the notes, and several of the books offered. After finishing, he handed them to Bill and George, while calling for Ron and Hermione. Bill's eyes widened as he read through the notes,

"You two took these" he said in surprise,

"Yes" Dominique and Victoire said together,

"That's amazing. I suppose you two are ready for the order. I will have to find your mum and inform her" He gulped and flooed back to his house to face his french wife.

"Where is your other friend?"

Dominique looked around to find her, as the fire turned green and Katarina came out of the flames holding Grint.

"What are you doing with him?" Dominique asked curiously

"I'm holding him" Katarina said,

"Why did you take him with you?"

"He didn't want to let go of me, plus he seemed pretty friendly, for a bird"

Victoire gave her a strange look as Katarina began to stroke his head,

"He kind of reminds me of Shatten" she commented,

"Who is Shatten?" Dominique asked,

"My pet" Katarina said,

"Aw, it's so sweet you miss him" Dominique said smiling,

"Yes, I do. I hope my sister is feeding him properly" she frowned,

"What does he eat?" Dominique inquired,

"Dragon meat" Katarina said sweetly,

Hermione looked up from the notes she was reading and gave Katarina an odd look,

"What kind of pet do you have?" she asked curiously,

"A wolf" Katarina answered,

"And he eats dragon meat?" Hermione asked

"Yep"

"How large is he?" Hermione asked again,

"About 5 feet on four legs" Katarina answered, still petting Grint.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her as if she was growing several heads, Dominique laughed nervously,

"Kat did tell me her family was quite odd"

Katarina looked confused, she had never known that size wolf to be odd in anyway. Hermione gave Katarina another strange look until Ron poked her.

Hermione glared at him,

"What did I tell you about poking me, Ronald" she said

"Keep it in my pants, two is enough" he said meekly

Hermione glared at him while everyone looked embarrassed and started to laugh,

"Angelina told me the same thing" George began, chuckling, "I was like, bloody hell, I will poke it wherever the bloody hell I want"

"Then you slept on the floor for the next month, like you will this month" Angelina said sweetly, pinching George's cheek.

"But but" George floundered, but Ron saved him,

"Anyways Hermione, can you translate this?" and handed a book to Hermione,

Hermione looked at it

"I have never seen such complex translations" she said confusedly,

"Neither have I" Dominique said,

"Why haven't you shown me this book?" Katarina asked,

"Professor Edmund said not to show it to anyone" she said apologetically,

"Including me? Or did you just want to figure it out alone" Katarina said sharply,

"I wanted to show you, but I wanted to try it out first" Dominique admitted,

"May I see it now?" Katarina asked politely,

Hermione handed her the book, not believing she could understand it, Katarina looked at the book for a second,

"Professor Edmund gave this to you, didn't he?"

"You know what this says?" Hermione asked,

"You should not have this book" Katarina said and gave Dominique a very worried look. Everyone looked at Katarina.

Katarina looked down at the book and quickly told everyone that she is going to take a walk. Before anyone but Dominique could understand exactly what was happening, Katarina rushed out of the house as fast as possible with Dominique right on her tail.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter

Everyone remained at the house for a moment, looking at the front door where the two girls had disappeared.

Hermione cleared her throat, "She could read the book" she whispered,

"And you couldn't?" Ron asked,

"No" Hermione shook her head, "That was very complex, more complex than anything I have ever seen"

Everyone looked shocked, silence echoing through the family home.

At that point, Bill and Fleur returned,

"Ahem" Bill coughed, "Something you all want to tell us?"

Meanwhile, in the woods by the lake, Katarina was standing alone. Her eyes were fixed on the water, as she worked to regulate her breathing patterns, attempting to relieve the stress. Dominique was breathing heavily as well, watching Katarina as she caught her breath before walking down to the water to stand next to her.

"There are things" Katarina began, "Dominique, that I cannot tell you about me"

Dominique began to speak but Katarina held up a hand,

"No please, you need to hear this. You already know there are things about me that are, at this very moment, impossible for me to tell you. I realize that this may be hard for you, but believe me when I say that you are better off not knowing"

"But you will tell me one day?" Dominique said challengingly, her eyes glowing, "Everything?"

Katarina nodded wearily,

"Everything"

The two girls returned to the Burrow, not holding hands, but closer than when they had left. They entered the kitchen silently, while Dominique sent a gaze across the room that dared anyone to ask Katarina what happened.

Harry cleared his throat,

"Shall we?" he indicated the living room, and there was a lot of shifting as the various members stood and gathered themselves to move to a more comfortable position.

Before they left the room, Katarina grabbed the book from the table, holding it as if it was a piece of drenched clothing that she would not want to touch.

As the family and others sat, Harry stood.

"Well, Ron and I with the help of Bill have determined that there is a link among the various murders, and that, in fact, there are two. We have located several telling factors along each of the scenes that correlate such as the missing fingers in some, that are not present in others. This leads us to believe that whatever we are fighting, is somehow split." Harry sat and pointed to Bill,

"Bill, would you like to elaborate?"

Bill nodded sharply and stood,

"According to my research and apparently my daughters, we believe that the ring finger with some of the murders holds some sort of key to what is happening. Whatever was on their fingers was not goblin made, it was something else. My work with the goblins has led me to believe that there are very telling signs of certain metals that have prolonged contact with skin, none of these fingers show contact of any sort with known metals. The other thing that we know is that these murders happened quickly. It is obvious that these were bred killers, they knew what they were doing and they were good at it. One of the killers, we believe he is sick" A pale pallor passed over his face, "He likes to play with his victims, to dismember them piece by piece. "

A dreadful silence took over the group, while Bill turned to his wife,

"Fleur tells me that these killers are very intelligent becuase one of them knows how to kill the body because they know how to kill the body in the most effective and efficient way." Bill sat down, inviting anyone to speak.

George turned to Harry,

"Does anyone else have something to say? Because I am hungry" his stomach growled as he looked pitifully towards his mother,

"Of course, of course" Mrs. Weasley said, cuffing her son, "I've already made lunch, if you all will come in the kitchen"

Victoire spoke up, her voice very quiet,

"I have something else that seems very interesting" There was a pause, as everyone looked at her,

"Well go on love" Bill said encouragingly, "Speak up"

"There's this creature that I found in a Hogwarts text that is technically forbidden" she winced, "it's known as a Shinkuu. There isn't a lot of information on it, but there is one thing that connects the murders. Their ability to use weaponry, because the murders are bloody, I'm sure they used something that could slice"

"Whose the author of the novel?" Katarina asked

"Fastred Cernobog" Victoire said, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing" Katarina says airily, but she turns a shade pale,

Dominique gave her a questioning look, but remembering the conversation from earlier, dropped it almost immediately, choosing to pay attention to main topic at hand.

George coughed at the silence,

"This has been a very interesting discovery, my lovely niece, but I am hungry so I am going to eat"

The room burst into laughter as the family continued their journey into the kitchen, cracking up as George said "I'll buy you an extra special Christmas gift this winter"

As lunch commenced, no one noticed as Dominique and Katarina made their way from the table and sidled upstairs.

"This is my dad's room" Dominique was saying as they entered the slightly bare but homey room.

"It's quaint" Katarina said, walking around and admiring the moving pictures and looking out the small window. Then suddenly, she turned around to face Dominique and took several strides towards her.

"You know, that's a nice robe, but I'd rather not see it on you" she smirked,

"Oh you really like it? I didn't think you'd notice" Dominique said, fingering the material,

"Oh, I like it" Katarina purred, "I like it a lot" she pushed Dominique up against the wall and brought her hands up to enclose Dominique above her shoulders.

Dominique smiled seductively and unbuttoned the robe one button at a time, letting it pool on the ground, leaving her in bra and underwear

"If I knew you liked it this much, I would wear it all the time" and she set about unbuttoning Katarina's robes, the coarse material sliding off of her girlfriend's shoulders.

As both girls stood partially nude, Katarina leaned forward and started the snog session with a gentle kiss on the left side of Dominique's mouth. The gentle and teasing kisses soon changed to feverish and passionate and it wasn't long before there was barely an inch of air between them.

Hermione walked up to Fleur, a little peeved that she would even have to ask the beautiful woman for assistance.

"Um Fleur" she asked, disengaging the blonde from her conversation with Bill, "May I ask you a question, in private?"

Fleur raised her eyebrows but acquiesed, and they walked into the living room,

"Well, what iz it, 'Ermione?" Fleur said impatiently,

"I was wondering if you had any "special potion" stores upstairs, I have some brewing but it won't be done for a week" the muggleborn looked exceedingly uncomfortable in her situation, as Fleur looked comprehendingly at Hermione.

"Oh 'Ermione, of course! You only need ask, I 'ave some up ze stairs"

The two woman began to ascend the stairs as Fleur began to talk,

"So, what positions do you and Ronald usually engage in?" Fleur asked conversationally,

"For Bill and myself, we usuallly stick with some of ze simpler positions. Ma favorite iz when I am partially upside down and almost in a split, or when Bill pleasures me when we are on ze stairway. But you know, it varies"

"Well, Ron and I just stick with the usual, I suppose" Hermione said, coughing to convey her discomfort, but thinking about the possibilities that were available to her, upon her return home

"Oh I know zat dear, but where? On ze bed, ze table, ze floor, Bill and I do it everywhere!"

Hermione blanched,

"But what about proprietry and cleanliness?" Hermione asked hesitantly,

Fleur waved away her questions,

"Scourgify iz usually sufficient, but thinking about it" she said thoughtfully,

"I think my favorite position iz when Bill and I did it on ze on the beach and partially in ze ocean"

Hermione coughed, and prayed for salvation as they finally reached BiIl's room,

"I think it's in ze corner bedtable" Fleur mused as they opened the door.

However, they stepped in to find a quite different sight. Dominique and Katarina were locked in an intense embrace, snogging wildly, both with mussed hair and barely clothed. Katarina's hands were grabbing at the clasp on Dominique's bra while Dominique's hands were doing all sorts of wildly inappropriate things to Katarina's body. The two appeared not to notice their visitors.

"Um Uhh" Hermione struggled for words, as Fleur stood shell-shocked,

"Dominique" she said loudly, causing Dominique to break off the kiss she shared with Katarina and to turn to the side,

"What?" she said irritably, only to notice a second too late her mother staring back at her.

"Oh" she said in a higher pitch tone, "Oh, Mum. I, I, I didn't notice you there"

Katarina awkwardly stood there, and picked up her robe, attempting to cover her body while grabbing Dominique's robe and holding it out to her silently. Dominique took the robe, blushing fiercely, and threw it over her body,

"Well are you just going to stand there and watch?" she snapped at Fleur, who immediately turned and grabbed Hermione's shoulder, forcing her to also turn as the two girls changed into their decent attire.

Fleur and Hermione left for downstairs, and were soon followed by both Dominique and Katarina.

There was an awkward silence in the kitchen before George said,

"Your parents want you to both Floo home" he coughed, "immediately"

"Here wait" Hermione rushed into the room, "Katarina, here's Grint" and then she turned to Dominique, placing a kiss on the top of her head, "I'll always love you" she whispered, "No matter what" and sent the two of them back home.

The two girls arrived home, and were told to sit down by a furious Fleur. She began yelling at them both in french, quickly snapping at Bill to translate what she was saying for Katarina,

"Ahem" Bill said, "Fleur says she is very disappointed in you, how could you do this to the family? How could you not tell her and disgrace the family honor so totally to be without reproach. It is utterly embarrassing for Fleur to have to bare this in front of the rest of the family like a commoner when you both know she deserves better treatment then that- I give up" Bill said, throwing his hands up in the air and turned to Fleur,

"Honey" he said placatingly, "think about this. This could be ten times worse, I know that you find this a personal offense to yourself, but one of them could be dead. Just calm down and have a cup of tea, I'll talk to the girls, ok?"

Fleur frowned, but stormed off into the kitchen and left Bill with the two girls.

"I accept you two for what you both are, I will love you Dom, forever, you know that. And I'll learn to love you, Kat. Next time, don't let someone stumble upon you, just flat out say it. Don't sorry Dom, Fleur will come around soon, she loves you very much, she is just shocked, I would be too if I was the one who saw it, because I have two beautiful virgin daughters and nothing would ever change that" He walked upstairs muttering to himself

"Two virgin daughters" under his breath as he went.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter

Location: Unplottable

Wind rushed. Unpredictable and uncontrollable, the natural element was moving faster than sixty miles an hour as it encountered an obstacle it had perhaps, not expected. The obstacle in question was one single human (if it could even be called that) which stood silent and still on the top of a mountain.

The sentinent being also went by the name of Johan.

His hair flew freely in the breeze, the intensity only outmatched by the ominous glint that was everpresent in his black eyes. As yet another gust of wind threatened to push him towards the cave behind him, he turned and conciously walked into the cave.

Darkness engulfed him as he made the short trek quickly and emerged to the sight of something truly incredible. A city lay under the mountain, it's turrets and towers dark and dreary. The stalagtites and stalagmites made their way throughout the city's many sectors and the silence which permeated it chilled Johan as he came home.

Two guards approached the young man as he walked confidently towards the heavily warded gates.

"Master Johan" one of the guards said respectfully, "The Council is asking to see you"

The guard stepped back self-consciously bowed as the prideful man pushed past him and into the city.

As Johan entered the city, he allowed the darkness to invite him further and direct him towards his prime destination. He cared nothing for the little creatures and people who skittered past him and hid in shadows. His eyes were only for the tower in the middle of the city as he whistled a jaunty tune that echoed darkly in the empty streets.

Sooner rather than later, he reached the middle of the city and began his ascent into the tower. The guards who saw him merely stepped aside and bowed their heads in a sign of respect as he continued.

At last, he stood in front of two doors that were at least twice his height and carelessly pushed them open.

A table lay before him with five seats, all full of elders who looked quite empty and cracked as they beckoned him inward.

"Welcome Johan" the eldest intoned, "I'm glad your mission was successful, but there are certain new developments that you need to be aware of"

"Which are?" Johan asked with interest,

"The vampires have decided to join our cause, and there is a strong likelihood that the werewolves will join" he continued as if there had been no interruption,

"If it wasn't for that girl, Klara, then one of the elders would still be here"

Another broke in grumpily,

"I could kill her" Johan offered up, his eyes flashing at the thought of killing an old acquaintance,

"And what makes you think you'd be able to kill her" the grumpy elder said mockingly, "After you've failed twice to kill her younger sister"

The rest of the council was silent as Johan hummed quietly,

"She was with the wizards" he said eventually, after eyeing the grumpy elder into a tense silence, "When she's out of their grasp, I can kill her easily"

"In any case, you'd better kill her quickly" another elder warned, "Rumor has it she will one day surpass her sister and that would have catastrophic after-effects, since her sister is so powerful"

"I know" Johan said, "The deatheaters will act on their ministry soon, so Hogwarts should be caught in the crossfire"

"Continue locating allies" the eldest said, "You seem to excel at that" and gave a toothy grin,

"I'll report back in a month" Johan said lazily, and with a spin of his feet, he was gone.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 **

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter

Katarina sat alone in Dominique's room as she watched out the window. It seemed surreal as she watched the green meadow through different shades of blue, Dominique's curtains swish in and out of sight. The summer had come quickly, too quickly, and it was almost time to return to Hogwarts for their O.W.L examinations. Katarina remained silent as a snake slithered into Dominique's room, choosing to avoid shouting for help and assistance and instead watched it slither towards her and drop a note that she lunged forward to read with as much vigor as she could possibly muster on the spot.

Dear Kat,

I am sorry I have not contacted you recently, I know you have been kept out of the loop, but it has been for your own good. We have reason to believe that their Ministry is going to fall shortly, we do not know how or when, but we do know it will fall. Since we do not understand Wizarding culture, try to figure out the Ministry is integrated in the ordinary wizard's life. Maybe ask your girlfriend?

Keep training at night, whatever you do- Do not Contact Me

I will contact you

Love Klara

PS- It is Time

The lone girl took a large breath, closing her eyes and choosing to contemplate the news through sweet blackness. If what Klara said was true, then there was only few things she need contemplate doing in this short time.

"Kat, are you coming or not?"

A shout interrupted her musing and she let a smile creep across her face. Dominique's loud voice cutting across her thoughts, she slid off the bed, destroying the note instantly, and walked to the landing.

"Coming" she said softly, and stared once more at the summer view from the window. It was the illusion of perfection and the promise of winter, and there was nothing Katarina could do to stop what she knew was going to be a bloody and endless war.

She hurried down the creaky stairs and met with Dominique in the main foyer, her friend turned and gave her a lopsided smile.

"Honestly, how long does it take you to get ready, Kat?" she said, "I'm the Veela here"

They both laughed, before Dominique started out the door, followed closely by Katarina. The sun shone brightly on them as they made their way down the shore. As Dominique plopped herself down on the light green grass on the hilltop, she closed her eyes and inhaled the air.

"I'll miss it here" she said wistfully, "Won't you?"

"For a couple of hours?" Katarina asked skeptically, but turned contemplative, "Yes" she said, "I think I will"

Their thoughts were interrupted by the crack signalling Bill's arrival.

"Hey dad" Dominique said cheerfully, greeting him with a tight hug. He returned her hug wearily, rubbing his hands together,

"Ready to apparate?" he asked, wincing, "I"m sure you'll love it" he added in a sarcastic tone.

Both girls nodded, despite the caustic remark, and grabbed his arms, and closed their eyes as he turned on the spot.

It was like being sucked through a tube that was a bit too tight for any of their comfort. Katarina felt the air being literally squeezed out of her body while Dominique similarly squeaked in protest as she felt her arms being compressed far beyond their comfort level.

And all at once they were there.

Bill swore as both girls tore away from him and coughed,

"Not the most pleasant experience" Bill commented, still holding his side, "Especially when done a lot in quick sucession"

Katarina could only nod as Dominique looked sick to her stomach.

"But here we are" and Bill was correct. Before the three travellers was the welcome sight of Hogwarts. A warm feeling settled itself into each of their stomaches, before Dominique said what they were all thinking,

"Home"

The twinkling lights in the towers beckoned them forward as Bill escorted the two girls to the Castle. There was no shortcuts to be taken as they huffed up the hillside that was the Hogwarts grounds. Katarina was first to past the Great Lake, but Dominique overtook her as they reached the castle and was first to set foot on the stone steps that welcomed them home.

"Ah Ms. Weasley and Ms. Hakai" Professor McGonagall's voice greeted them as they walked indoors. "It is good to see you both again"

The elder woman's face was strewn with wrinkles but she looked kindly upon the pair of witches, and continued,

"Hogwarts has missed your prescence deeply, as have I" she smiled, "But enough of pleasantries. The rest of the school is eating breakfast, so hurry off and join them- I need to have words with your father"

As the two girls walked to the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall turned to Bill, her face growing older by decades.

"How are you doing Bill?" she asked wearily,

"As well as can be expected" Bill answered guardedly, "You need rest Minerva" he said concernedly, "How much sleep are you getting?"

She waved the question away,

"That's not important, I just have to get through O.W.L season. I don't know how Albus did it, even after all these years, I can never be calm during this time"

The two old friends shared a moment of remembrance for their late friend,

"Some of those lemon drops" Bill teased, "I'm sure he laced them with calming draught or something"

The professor laughed,

"I wouldn't be surprised. But to more important manners..."

And the two broke into whispered argument which no student could discern.

Dominique and Katarina sat down quietly at the Gryffindor table, and thankfully, no one seemed to be the wiser to it. Most parents had allowed their children to come and sit the O.W.L's for the day at least so there was no surprise as the table filled up with students who had left even before Dominique and Katarina.

Too soon, breakfast was over and people began to walk out of the Great Hall and to their testing locations. Dominique looked significantly paler as the testing staff from the Ministry arrived and directed students this way and that, putting up schedules that stretched feet over wall space.

The day was ever so slow.

Every exam, with the ticking timers and scratching quills grated on both the girl's nerves until at last, that portion of all of their classes was over. As the practical's approached, Dominique relaxed. Katarina on the other hand, became tense. Her magic was not quite what the examiners would call Exceeding Expectations or even Acceptable if she indulged in her pessimism.

As the first examiner came forward and beckoned Dominique with one finger, the Veela waved back merrily and proceeded to follow him towards his station, her confidence nonwithstanding. As Katarina stood there, looking rather silly, she waited for the next examiner to come forward so she could meet her fate.

Two hours later, that fate was evident, Katarina had not only failed to produce any significant magic through her wand, but when asked in exasperation by the examiner to make sparks come out of her wand, could not perform the prescribed task. The only task in which she excelled in at all was Potions and only because the potion she was asked to make did not require any magic performed on the potion itself.

On the other hand, Dominique simply flew through her tasks. Charms and Transfiguration were a breeze and she carefully manipulated the Potions through a few well placed strokes in the viscous liquid.

As the pair exited the examination room, Dominique was skipping on sunshine. She smiled at Katarina cheerfully,

"How do you think you did Kat?" she asked,

"Hmm" the German said, "Maybe Acceptable in Potions... but everything else, Dreadful"

Dominique's eyes widened comically,

"Don't say that Kat" she said playfully, "It's bad luck to be so pessimistic"

A smile crept across Katarina's face,

"You may just be correct in assuming that"

As the two girls continued on their way through the castle back to the dorms, one praised the Ministry while the other merely shook their head and continued on.

The next two weeks of O.W.L testing was hell. While Katarina was fairly sure she did well in the theory examinations, she had given up trying for sparks in the practical. She bamboozled her examiners who were sure there was something wrong with her wand and not with her magic because they had somehow seen her theoretical scores and were assured of her smarts. Dominique was confident overall, as the weeks rounded down and thankfully they were soon waiting in the HeadMistresses's office, preparing to return home.

"Are you sure you have to go home?" Professor McGonagalll was asking Dominique as the fireplace suddenly turned green.

"Regrettably yes, Professor" she said as Fleur and Bill flooed in to the office. Fleur smiled,

"It iz good to zee you, Minevra" she said warmly, and after exchanging a hug, she was directing her two charges into the fireplace,

"We're stopping at Diagon Alley for a gift for you two for congratulations" Bill breathed as Fleur and Professor McGonagall gossiped about nothing in particular.

Dominique and Katarina smiled as the fire roared green and one by one, they stepped into the slightly tingly warm fireplace and yelled out "Diagon Alley".

Both engulfed in the ash filled and nauseous sensation that Floo travel entailed, it wasn't long before they appeared in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. As Katarina flew out of the fireplace, she felt a cold hand grab her upper arm, but before she could say anything, she felt Dominique's hand on her mouth and her mouth at her ear,

"Shhh" it was that sound that made Katarina look up in surprise and that action that allowed her to be pulled into the shadows of the bookshelves near the back of the pub.

"Didja hear something?" a gruff voice said from the outer side of the bar,

"Nah, it's just the rats. Tom doesn't take care of the place very well" a second voice leered,

"Still" a third voice countered, "Better to block off the fireplace all the same" and a spell was muttered in the general direction of the fireplace, causing the green flames to sputter and crackle away.

Dominique's spirits sunk, that had been her primary escape route, which was now blocked off. Suddenly a bright idea popped into her head, and she tapped the top of Katarina's head with her wand, focusing all of her magic on the disallusionment spell that her dad had taught her the week previously.

Whether it was the adrenaline of the moment or some other source of magic, she was able to perform the charm, allowing Katarina to melt away from sight before she quickly did the same to herself. They held hands to avoid being separated and silently made their way across the shop. Both unconsciously made their way towards the exit in Diagon Alley, neither of them knew if any charms or spells had been placed on the front exit.

It must have been sheer dumb luck that the stupidest Death Eaters were assigned to that pub, because they neither noticed or cared that two fifteen year old witches clumsily made their way across the pub and got into Diagon Alley. As they both breathed a sign of relief, it was quickly suppressed by an ever-encompassing horror. Death Eaters ran rampant down both sides of the Alley, Florean Fortescues was overturned, and Flourish and Blotts was on fire. The last stronghold seemed to be Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Communicating silently, Dominique and Katarina made their way quickly through the Alley in the high hopes that they could somehow get into the shop. Dominique held her own wand shakily while Katarina withdrew a dagger just in case. The joys of the disallusionment charm.

They edged along corners and made flat out sprints across streets before they were in running distance of the brightly lit shop. Praying silently, both girls made a full out run at the door and burst through, surprised to see many of the shop owners cowering in the front of the shop. The disallusionment charm faded quickly and Katarina hid her dagger.

"Please, where's George? He's my Uncle" Dominique cried out in vain as she tried to make her way to the back room,

"Eh, whos that?" A farmiliar voice echoed in the din, "My niece?"

George Weasley emerged from the back room with something resembling a Muggle sub-automatic machine gun, though clumsily thrown together with whatever he could find in the back,

"Here" he said firmly and handed the weapon to the Madam Malkin, "Just click this" and he indicated the trigger, "I'll make more"

The poor seamstress quivered in fear, but George disregarded her as his eyes fell upon Katarina and Dominique.

"What? Why are you here Dominique? Katarina?" He questioned,

"We took a Floo here from O.W.L testing, we didn't know this was going on" Dominique said tearfully, "Please tell me you have a working floo, Mum and Dad don't know if we're alright or not"

George wiped his forehead, and seemed to think very hard for a second,

"Well" he said slowly, "I don't have a floo, but I have something better" he brightened, "Wait here a moment" and he disappeared in the back of the shop,

Katarina and Dominique exchanged looks, what could be better than Floo powder in their predicament?

George returned and with him, he carried a little play fireplace and a mirror.

"Okay, here are some of my new experimental pieces for the order" he said, with no joking tone in his voice, "This one" and he indicated the small fireplace, "Is a shrunk fireplace. You just have to unshrink it to Floo somewhere" he let his voice drift off "in theory"

Coughing loudly, he continued,

"And this mirror should let you contact Bill so he knows you're safe"

His eyes softened and he handed them the items, "Please be safe" he said softly and gave Dominique a kiss on the head and Katarina a pat on the shoulder,

"I'd never forgive myself if I lost you too" he said softly, almost to himself, before straightening up, "Don't stick around" he said grimly, "We've got a war to fight" and drew his sooty fingers through his sweaty red hair.

He walked off back to the group of people as Dominique and Katarina stared at eachother before Dominique quickly unshrunk the fireplace and called out "Shell Cottage" to it's green depths. She stared at Katarina with a quirked frown before she the fire consumed her. Katarina stood now in the green flames, holding her breath and shouting "Shell Cottage"

She disappeared in a swirl of smoke.

It felt much worse than a normal Floo ride, Katarina thought moodily, as she spun faster and more haphazardly than usual. But as the spinning slowed and she felt herself being pulled out of the fireplace and she opened her eyes, she was at the place that she now knew as home. Dominique was hugging her tightly as Bill and Fleur rushed into the room at a run.

"Zhat happened?" Fleur said, clearly upset, "I was zo worried. I thought, you might 'ave died, o something terrible" she buried herself into Dominique's embrace. Bill simply looked relieved and he hugged Katarina lightly before turning to Dominique,

"Thank goodness" she heard him whisper before engulfing his daughter into a bone-crushing hug.

They were soon shooed upstairs to take showers and clean up before dinner. After taking showers and cleaning up, the pair again descended the creaky stairs and made their way into the dining room.

Katarina suddenly noticed that there was a broken plate on the floor and Fleur was crying in Bill's arms. There was a wolf patronus speaking in a deep voice repeating the same message over and over again,

"The ministry has fallen. The minister of magic is dead. They are coming" [HP7]

Dominique gulped and reflexively hugged Katarina as she stood there, rooted to the spot. She hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

As both the couples stood there in shock, the same thought echoed in their minds,

"What now?"


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter

...and we'd REALLY appreciate reviews :)

As the shock permeated the room slowly, it was Bill who recovered first. He shook himself free from desperation, and called out,

"Vic! Louis!"

There was a stumbling of footsteps as both children bounded down from the stairs and rushed into the kitchen as quickly as they could. As both entered the room, skidding on the tiled floor, their eyes reflexively widened as the message was repeated.

And just as suddenly as the message appeared, it disappeared, the blue flecks of the patronus sparking out of existence, the lights dying from the kitchen.

The reign of silence that had taken over the kitchen was abruptly ended as Fleur stepped forward, her beauty transformed into a deadly focus.

"Bill, send owls" she commanded, and turned to Katarina and Dominique,

"You two, prepare for battle"

The three nodded their heads once and headed off in different directions. Bill flew to the window and jotted off letters to anyone and everyone that could possibly help them. Wrapping the letters to Grint's leg, he stroked the owl once before tossing him out into the sky.

While Bill owled for help, Katarina and Dominique sprinted upstairs to grab whatever they could find. Wands were tucked into old and battle-worn holsters as boots were thrown on in favor of sneakers and cloaks that were more apt for battle were tossed on while their school robes were thrown to the side.

Katarina was finished far earlier than Dominique, as she was almost always battle ready in any given instance. She stared out of the window contemplatively, fingering the sleeve of her robe. Her steel silver eyes sharpened as she watched Fleur cast protective charm after protective charm on the house and area in general. A chill ran across her shoulders as a sudden wind slammed into the window frame, jolting its foundations

Victoire hurried Louis to the fireplace, dragging the protesting boy by his heels as he yelled at her.

"NO Vic! You can't make me go! I'm part of this family too!"

Louis cried as Victoire swung him round to face her.

"You will go to the Burrow" she said firmly, pointing her finger into his stomach, as his eyes filled with tears,

"But Vic" he said in a cracked voice, "What if...?"

Victoire turned solemn,

"Nothing" she said gently, brushing some hair out of his forehead, "Is going to happen. I promise you, I won't leave you"

The young boy sniffled for a second, before letting himself hug Victoire forcefully,

"I'll hold you to that" he said gruffly, before turning and grabbing the powder from the side of the fireplace, throwing it in the fire and saying softly "The Burrow"

As Louis left, Victoire stood and regrouped with the family plus Dominique in the kitchen. The five fighters, armed with everything at their disposal, began to create a fighting formation.

Fleur and Bill looked at each-other with conviction, before Bill said loosely,

"We received no answers, so for now, we're on our own"

He let out a breath before shaking off the quickly gathering melancholy,

"Lets aim for here" he said firmly, pointing at an indiscriminate point in the forest, "If we can hold them off, depending on their numbers, we can make it to here, past the anti-apparition wards, we'll be safe to make it"

Dominique broke into her father's plans,

"Why are the death-eaters coming to attack us though, dad?" she asked, "I realize we are a bright target, but why now?"

Out of nowhere, a roar came from outside and a jet of bright green light crashed through the newly furnished kitchen window. Fleur shrieked,

"'Ow dare they!" before sending back an equally deathly curse through the empty frame.

It was then that the fray began. Death-Eaters, at least eight of them burst into Shell Cottage. The door rocked on its hinges before giving in to the immense pressure and cracking in half and falling to the ground as the first of them stepped inside.

"Weasley" he bellowed, the dust in the air making it difficult to see his prey, "We know you're in here"

Bill quietly gestured for Dominique and Katarina to get behind him as he creeped forward into the acrid tasting dust.

"Over here" all four girls smiled as Bill projected his voice to the opposite side of the room, they watched silently as the Death Eater leader walked confidently to the opposite side of the room, and waited until the dust cleared.

"They're on the other-" the second Death-Eaters voice was cut off as Bill quickly stupefied him and cast "Incarcerous" silently.

The leader turned quickly and cast the first offensive spell, which allowed the family plus Katarina to burst into action. Fleur, Victoire and Dominique all called upon their magic and cast any and all numbers of spells at the Death Eaters. Jets of light flew across the room as shields were erected and spells were brushed off.

As Katarina stayed back, choosing to observe the fighting style of both the Weasley's and Death-Eaters, she realized the Weasley's were losing. Slowly yet surely, the idea that one could bring down a deadly enemy using only stunners was clearly being refuted as the battle gained more and more momentum.

Seeing a moment of silence as her entry point, Katarina burst into action. She rolled forward and thrust both of her fists forward, cutting off the enemy's air supply as she punched him in the gut. As he keeled over and groaned, she let out a secretive smile. She had just hit his kidneys, hard enough so that he would die in the next 30 or 45 seconds.

She continued on her manslaughter, using tai-jutsu to chop and dice her way through the Death-Eaters. The dimunitive girl broke bones and hit vital nerves, knowing, not hoping, that she was having a significant contribution to the war effort.

As she brought one more man down, she stood up and retreated slightly, noticing there was only one Death Eater left and that both Dominique and Victoire were fighting him. They cast equally well and soon, the victim was stunned and tied securely to a chair.

The five survivors looked around shakily, their victory leaving the mood both elated and wary simultaneously.

"Are there anymore?" Victoire said quietly, eyeing the remaining ones closely, though there was only 3 or 4.

"Non" Fleur said hoarsely, "I think we are fine"

There was a moment of relaxation as they all sagged, save Katarina. But Fleur looked up, smiling slightly as she picked some plaster out of her hair, the sun setting in the distance.

"I think" she said again, "We are in need of ze new additions to votre maison"

Everyone laughed, it was impossible not to, the giggles seemed drug-like in their capabilites. Shell Cottage was not entirely destroyed, it was true, but almost being the key word. The upstairs floors were fine, but the living room and kitchen were more than a little bit tainted with battle scars, it was only by pure magic that the house remained standing at all.

Suddenly, there was a crack.

Everyone flashed their wands out, but Katarina, to aim at the new intruder. Ronald Weasley held his hands up, but seemed unsurprised as he also looked battle-worn.

"What was the model of the car you flew into Hogwarts in your second year?" Bill snarled, pointing his wand directly at Ron's forehead.

"Ford Angelia, I think" the younger male said sheepishly,

Bill lowered his wand hesitantly and grabbed Ron round the shoulders, hugging him quickly but with warmth.

"What happened?" Ron asked, his eyes flickering around to the destruction around him,

"Death Eaters" Dominique said darkly, "That's what"

Ron exhaled sharply,

"That explains more than you know" he said, "There was an attack on the Burrow as well, no deaths" he added, "And we made sure Louis was safe"

Victoire sighed in relief.

"We should all gather at the Burrow to figure out what our next move is" he continued, "If you'll all follow me?"

The family quickly grabbed hold of Ronald, Bill and Fleur respectively and side-apparated to the Burrow. It was in a similar state of destruction, though the plaster had less holes in it, and there weren't as many bodies, since the majority of their fighters had fled.

As the group of six neared the Burrow, a small form darted outside and attacked Victoire.

"You're okay" Louis said in relief, clutching onto the elder child's sides,

"Of course" Victoire said jovially, "I told you, I'd never leave you"

They continued their ascent to the Burrow and were soon greeted by Harry and Hermione, both slightly battle-worn, and entered the kitchen.

"Oh Bill, Fleur, Dominique, Victoire, and Katarina. Thank goodness you are all alright"

The Weasley Matron stood from where she was nursing Angelina leg, where there was a large gash healing slowly with more traditional methods than they would usually use. She rushed over and hugged each one of them, uncertainly hugging Katarina last.

"So now that we're all here" Harry said, interrupting the reunion, "We need to discuss what happened and how the Ministry fell in the first place"

"Well I would think that's obvious Harry" Hermione said tartly from her place at the table, "The Ministry has been infiltrated for a decade or so, they have probably just finally garnered the support that was needed for a takeover and decided to use that advantage to attack the most prominent Light families"

"What do you mean by Light families?" Harry asked,

"You know" Hermione said, to a silence, "The families most geared towards the Light side, like our family, the other Weasley's, the Potters, Longbottoms and Lovegoods"

There was a silence around the table,

"Oh" Harry said, "I thought this would require a bit more discussion"

"Not really" Hermione said, pushing a stray strand of hair from her face, "I've known for awhile"

"But how did you know?" Victoire asked,

"Know what?" Hermione asked, "The infiltration?"

Victoire nodded,

"Well it' simple really" Hermione said, smiling, "We never really got rid of some of the high-ranking Death-Eaters in the Ministry after the Second Wizarding War. So I have always wondered how much of a hold they had over our Ministry, though I admit" she said, "I didn't expect, I've been too focused in the courts, as of late"

Chatter broke out among the extended Weasley family, considering the 'meeting' over with, as Harry sulked.

Dominique grabbed Katarina's hand tightly and pulled her out of the meeting.

"What?" Katarina asked, as they both stood outside of the door, "Don't you want to hear about what is going on?"

"Not really, I know most about what Aunt Hermione is talking about. I have a larger concern" Dominique said, eyeing Katarina warily,

"And what would that be?" Katarina asked innocently,

"You killed them" Dominique said bluntly, "At least 4 or 3 of them, I saw you and I saw the bodies"

Katarina said nothing, watching Dominique closely with her all too intelligent and calculating eyes,

Dominique sighed and ran her fingers through her long hair,

"It's another part of that, isn't it" she said softly, "That secret you are keeping from me"

"Yes" Katarina said softly, "But it's not time"

"Then when will it ever be?" Dominique asked in frustration,

Katarina turned away from her, choosing instead to face the setting sun,

"You'll know" she said quietly, "I'll make sure of it"


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter (though we wish we did)

….and we'd REALLY appreciate reviews

Bill sighed, running his hands through his long red hair. He watched his family clinging to each other, and made a decision. Standing up slowly, he walked over to his hysterical wife,

"Come on Fleur" he said quietly, pulling her into a hug, "We need to get the remaining things from our home, so at least the children have their things"

Fleur sniffed but looked up, "We're going now?" Bill nodded,

"I think it needs to be done" She wiped away her tears, and stood stronger as they both walked over the fireplace and Flooed over to Shell Cottage.

As they both stepped out of the fireplace, both gasped in surprise. Instead of the ransacking they expected to have seen from the remaining Death Eaters that were not stunned, there were four dead bodies that littered the carpeted floor of the living room.

"I did not use any Killing Curses, did you?" Bill asked, examining all of the bodies with care,

"Perhaps they were done after we left?" she suggested, kicking a wand out of one Death Eater's hand forcefully,

"Here, I'll look at the bodies, and you gather belongings, okay?" Bill said calmly,

"Ok" Fleur said, calmly walking up to the second level of the building to gather the clothes and other important items of the various family members.

Bill began to look around carefully, trying to find a reason why the blood was so copious. Perhaps their spells rebounded, but it didn't explain how the Death Eaters were all too simply dead, with methods that seemed unwizardly.

"Bill" Fleur said from behind him, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder, "It's time to go"

As they both returned to the burrow, things were as normal as they could get. The air was filled with a sort of tense tightness, as the full family gathered in the living room. Molly was fussing over the grandchildren with care, making sure each were fed properly (though they all knew it was pointless). Teddy stood next to Harry, the two both deep in thought about what they had witnessed. Across the room, Victoire stared at Dominique with a hard glance, as Dominique looked more or less at the floor, scuffing it with her shoes. For some, the tension was too much, and like George and Angelina, they retreated upstairs, to a more peaceful environment. As Fleur and Bill redistributed belongings to each of the 4 children, the discussion began.

"Harry" Bill said without introduction, "There are four dead bodies in my living room"

There were gasps everywhere, even as Dominique faked one, and Katarina was expressionless. Victoire felt her eyes narrow even further; something is definitely up with these two besides their secretive relationship.

"Children" Molly's voice cut across the riffraff conversation, "Come now, the adults need to discuss what has just happened"

"No" Victoire said calmly, inciting gasps to again spread like wildfire, "I believe that I am old enough to stay"

"As do I" Dominique said, "It is our house, and therefore, our fight"

"This is not an Order meeting, this is an adults-only discussion, you will find out everything in the morning, I promise"

Dominique looked her father in the eye, searching for some form of sincerity, and finding what she believe to be satisfactory, nodded once, and walked upstairs.

Victoire, Dominique and Katarina sat moodily in the guest bedroom. Belongings were scattered about, while the three girls sat in silence. Victoire finally stood up,

"You two better not try anything with me here" She sniffed once and turned around, not bothering to speak with either of them,

Katarina looked at Victoire critically but then shrugged, Dominique, on the other hand, was a tad bit more livid.

"What the bloody hell is your problem?" she said aggressively,

"Oh nothing" Victoire said in a false sugar-coated voice, "I just want to know how you knew about the bodies?"

Alarm bells went off inside Katarina and Dominique's heads simultaneously,

"I saw them" Dominique said quietly, "Before we Flooed here, I didn't want to mention it" she looked uncomfortable for a moment, "We would have all panicked"

Victoire looked at her closely for a moment, observing how there was no looking away, or faint eye twitch muscle that gave away a particularly easy lie to spot. Grabbing her quickly, Victoire hugged Dominique tightly.

"I love you mon petit soeur" she said, choking slightly on a tear,

"I love you too, mon Cherie" Dominique replied in turn, before turning to go to bed,

"Goonight Kat" she said, hugging the girl as well,

"Night" Katarina called out as well. As was expected, Dominique and Victoire quickly fell asleep, while Katarina laid in wait. As soon as she heard the snoring emanating from the mouths of the two part- Veelas, she stood. Pulling on her ninja attire, she head out to the woods, and began to practice sword movements as old as time.

She practiced throughout the night, putting special emphasis on learning how to block and defend, methods she had not utilized in an age or so. However, she reasoned, learning how to defend was critical in any attack she could possibly launch. It was unfortunately, much harder to practice defense on your own than it was to practice attack mode, so sadly, Katarina was reduced to defending her position against leaves that fell from the sky.

At around 2 in the morning, Katarina had done enough, preparing herself to head back; she sheathed her swords, only to find herself pushed against a tree.

"Good training session you had there" a deeper voice said quietly behind her. Making no noise, she steeled herself as she felt a blade dig deeper into her collarbone,

"What's it to you" she spit out, knowing exactly who held her in that position,

"Oh nothing" a low laugh interrupted her anger, "I just found it interesting to watch a poor girl practice all alone in the middle of the night, you wouldn't be hiding something, would you?"

"No" she bit out, and suddenly she was turned to face whom was holding her, "Johan" she breathed out,

"You knew it was me," he stated, nodding his head, "Makes things easier" He casually walked away, picking up her swords, leaving her with no weapons, "I just wanted to make sure I didn't leave any damage from our last encounter", smiling sickly, he continued, "And I'm here to offer up a proposition"

"I'll never join you" Katarina said immediately, "There's nothing you could possibly offer me"

Johan chuckled darkly,

"Now now Kat, don't be presumptuous" he said, "I'm just here to offer up an alterative set of options"

She snarled at him,

"Just so you remember" he said, choosing his words carefully, "There are other people, that I work for, that are very powerful. You would do well to remember that, and they know you have a certain book"

Katarina was about to speak, but he held up a finger, effectively silencing her,

"I know, I know, you're going to say it's not worth it. Just be quiet. I'm delivering an option, and a warning" He nodded at her once, before disappearing into the night.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The next morning, the house was in full breakfast mode. Wands everywhere were cooking and cleaning pots and pans, as the Weasley family and Katarina gradually awoke. Dominique and Victoire woke up the moment the sun met their eyes, each yawning and groggily turning away from the giant star. As Dominique slowly awoke, she tried to wake Katarina up as well, only to realize that Katarina was not only already dressed, but full-out awake and smiling. Both sisters jumped,

"Bloody hell, Kat!" Dominique yelled, "You scared me"

Katarina laughed, and smiled as the two Veelas got up and ready to travel downstairs.

At breakfast, things were going quite a bit different than the usual topics of conversation found at the burrow. Instead of calming family conversation, there was deep political chatter about why the ministry fell.

"So you're saying the reason this occurred was that the death eater plants never left office after the second war?" George asked, chewing on some bacon,

"Absolutely" said Hermione, "There were too many of them in too high ranked positions for us to do anything about, which at the moment, seemed better than going off book and massacring them all"

"Was that the whole deal with the Crinchlow fellow at dinner, mum?" Victoire asked,

"You mean when he was talking about Purebloods, dear?" Fleur answered, "Yes, it's been one of the rising problems since earlier this year"

"Yes" Harry said as well, "They seem to think since it's been a 'reasonable' amount of time since the last war, that we've all forgotten what it's like to live under a Pureblood-Supremacy regime"

"What nonsense" Angelina said huffily, "I don't see how they could possibly think that, we've all lived through it, and our parents, of which most are still alive, still remember both wars which were both started by Purebloods just trying to gain more power"

"With Grindelwald, it was more wizards above muggles, if you don't mind me saying" Arthur cut in,

"Not at all, Mr. Weasley" Angelina said politely, "But I wonder if this war will be different then the other two all together. At least as far as I've seen, there has been a focus on magical animals and beings not being under the proper control."

Hermione nodded slowly,

"It might even be the opposite of the second war. More of a focus on controlling magical animals which will spread to a distinction between muggleborns and purebloods, rather than pureblood supremacy leading to tighter sanctions on magical beings" she said thoughtfully,

"Do you think the reason the Ministry was overthrown so early was because we weren't expecting it, all being prepared for a more pureblood-themed takeover?" Harry said quietly, "Because I certainly didn't see it coming"

"It's not your fault Harry" Hermione said, patting his arm, "None of us saw it coming this quick. They just struck the first blow so that we'd have to regroup, giving them time to get a stronger foothold on the Ministry, rather than last time, where they never really had a permanent hold"

"I just wish we'd know why they did it so early" Ron said in frustration, "It doesn't make sense"

"Maybe it was more to just assert dominance?" Angelina suggested, "Make it so that we understand they have the upper hand, you know?"

"Perhaps" George said, "But they have to know we'll immediately regroup the Order, so…I don't understand the point of what they're trying to do"

"From the goblin perspective" Bill said thoughtfully, "I'd say they are much more apt to dealing with wizards who are in conflict then who are not, after all, if half of our community wants to make it so that wizards are the highest power, goblins would be incited to rebel…again"

"You mean, so this could be a ploy for a certain species to take dominance?" Hermione said

Bill nodded slowly,

"It could mean that this is more than just wizarding pride taking a fall again, there was probably a force waiting until Voldemort fell in the second war to gather up all his followers, allowing them to reinfiltrate the Ministry without us catching wind of it because we were all hunting deatheaters" he said,

There was silence in the kitchen.

"The murders were probably a signal" Harry muttered finally, breaking the quiet. "A signal for those in hiding to begin to take positions and contact whoever they were supposed to" He buried his head in his hands, "I can't believe I missed it"

"Harry, it's not your fault" Ginny said, "You know that"

"But they have the upper hand, Ginny." Harry said, "They know who we are, and we have no idea who they are"

"When should we have the next meeting of all the order members then?" Bill said determinedly, "We obviously need to start soon, before things change too drastically"

"I already contacted them, they are coming soon" Harry responded,

"Are we the only ones who were attacked by Death Eaters?" George questioned, "Or whatever we're supposed to be calling them"

"We will find out later, won't we?" he said, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder,

"You do all realize we have several problems with the presence of a fallen ministry, similar to the last war. We can't floo or apparate, anything the ministry controls is forfeit. And then there's the possibility they might try and attempt a muggle born cleansing again, even if that isn't their first objective, it could be used to distract us from a worse goal"

"Muggle born cleansing?" Katarina asked,

"When all those that are not pureblood or blood traitors have to stand before the Ministry and are generally determined unworthy. The usually snap their wands" Hermione answered gently, realizing that Katarina, born in Germany, might not have experienced this as much as the English-born companions,

"To immediately start that would be foolish" Katarina said abruptly,

Everyone turned to stare at her as if she was crazy,

"How many people do you believe knows that the Ministry was overturned?" she asked reasonably,

"Everyone" Hermione answered promptly,

"Not necessarily" Katarina said slowly, "We only are sure because we have people on the inside of the situation"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked,

"The Ministry being overthrown didn't work the first time for Voldemort" Here she looked at Dominique, who nodded.

"It did work though" Hermione said decisively, "They had Snatchers, and a new Office, it worked for him"

"Not in the long run though" Katarina countered, "He was overthrown by the people in this room, so obviously whatever strategy he used can't be in use this time because that would mean whatever organization is working against your Ministry wasn't involved at all in the last war, which doesn't make any sense"

"She might be right" George offered up, "A silent overthrow does sound more straightforward. Harming those in the order makes more sense right now to them because as long as the public doesn't realize that the Ministry is overthrown, they are more apt to accept what the leaders are saying"

"They attacked us because we are well known order members, probably as a more black ops mission, using those loyal to the cause to fight us, rather than blame us as the Undesirables" Hermione summarized,

"It makes sense" Katarina said offhandedly.

_Dominique's Thoughts: She knows something, or is a strategic thinker to say the least_

"What did you guys come up with last night?" Victoire asked,

"Just how the Ministry was overturned" Harry said, "We seem to have developed on that"

"Well now what are we going to do?" Victoire said in frustration,

"We can't just sit here" Harry said, "We have to fight"

"That's illogical at this point, Harry" Bill argued, "With the new information, I wouldn't put my family in danger without reason"

"You really believe that I'm going to listen to a 5th year student about what just happened" Harry said in disbelief,

"You never know, Harry" Ginny said, "She might be right, there is one way to check though. Mum, you still get the prophet right?"

"Of course, dear" Molly said, "It's coming about now, I believe"

As Molly said that, a sleek brown post owl appeared at the window, pecking impatiently at the glass. The older woman sighed, opening the window and placed a knut in the sack on it's foot, at which the owl dropped a Prophet on the window sill and flew away. Ginny walked over, taking the Prophet and unfolding it slowly, looking at the moving picture of Neville Longbottom and his prodigy Muggleborn student, the article describing how they found a new and exciting plant species. She shrugged and threw the paper to Harry.

"Looks like Kat was right" she said,

Harry took the paper, glancing over it, and turned to look at Katarina suspiciously,

"How did you know that the takeover was going to be silent?" he said, glaring at her,

"I already explained why, the first attempt was a failure. It made sense." Katarina said reasonably,

"But how did you specifically know?" Harry pressed on,

"Logic and reasoning" Katarina said brightly,

"That was not the answer to my question" Harry said, glaring.

"Harry, calm down mate" Ron said, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "Hermione was thinking that it was a possibility too, she just hadn't had time to work out all of the specifics"

"I was, Harry" Hermione assured him, "I didn't know all the factors, but what Kat says makes sense"

"How smart are you?" George asked Katarina, eying her, "Are you Hermione 2.0?"

"You can't ask people that" Angelina said, smacking him upside the head,

"Right" Hermione said loudly, ignoring Angelina and George, "We can still apparate and floo but please, all of you" and here she glared at Harry and Ron, "Do so with caution"

George still was looking at Katarina and Dominique appraisingly, "Smart people like smart people, I suppose" he said contemplateively, "I wonder why Hermione likes Ronald, here" He laughed, only to be cuffed by Angelina again, and causing the tips of Ron's ears to go pink.

"I'll owl Charlie and tell him what is happening" Bill said, "For now, would you mind Mum, holding up Louis, Victoire, Dom and Kat. We'll figure out if they're going back to Hogwarts, and the whole situation later"

"Of course, Bill" Molly said, smiling, "I always love spending time with my grandchildren"

Victoire, Louis, and Dominique all cringed.

Bill smiled and set off to owl Charlie, leaving out the back door.

"Come on Ron" Harry said, "You too George", and the three men stepped outside to discuss how they were going to handle the situation through the order. In the meantime, Fleur, Angelina and Molly sat down, talking about this and that, drawing Louis, Victoire and Dominique into the discussion.

Hermione looked exhausted, but she stood up and walked over to Katarina,

"Could I talk to you, Kat?" she said politely, Katarina's eyebrows raised, but she acquiesced, walking with Hermione to the kitchen, siting across from the famous woman at the plain kitchen table.

"What is it you want to talk about?" Katarina asked,

"Just" Hermione started, struggling for words, "Firstly, I want to say thank you for figuring out what you did now, as opposed to later. Usually I am the only reasonable one in this family willing to look at past actions that may have affected the future. How did you figure it out by the way?" she smiled,

"Thank you" Katarina said sincerely, "I mean" she hesitated, "We've spent so much time talking about it here, and at school. I feel like I've had ages to just think about it, and the consequences that the second war would bring upon the third. It just clicked"

Hermione nodded, as if understanding her reasoning,

"I know the feeling" she said, "I'm glad you brought it up even if Harry was a bit hostile to the idea at first"

Katarina smiled,

"But anyways" Hermione said, "I wanted to talk about the runes"

"Runes?" Katarina said, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about" she said nonchalantly,

"Yes" Hermione said, "In fact, I'm afraid I know you do"

"And how could you know that?" Katarina asked, though there was a hard edge in her eyes now,

"I have been doing some research on that book that Professor Edmund gave Dom, the one you insisted she shouldn't have. It turns out there are some quite nasty spells, and terrible things written about something I can't decipher" Hermione said carefully, "I think there's an enchantment on it as well"

"And where would you find such knowledge?" Katarina asked slowly,

"The Wizarding Library in Alexandria, Egypt" Hermione answered, "Surely you know of it"

"Of course" Katarina said, "I just wanted to know, there's probably interesting Runic research texts there of the kind I've been wanting to study"

"Most likely" Hermione agreed, "But Kat?" she asked

"Yes?" the odd girl turned back to Hermione,

"If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask" the older woman said quietly,

"Don't worry, I won't" Katarina said, and walked away, leaving Hermione alone, lost in thought.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Disclaimer: We don't own anything Harry Potter

…and reviews are greatly appreciated

Teddy and Victoire sat together in one of the upper bedrooms. Both sat rather tensely, not holding hands, but lost in their own thoughts.

"Is there something wrong?" Teddy asked, trying to sound helpful,

"Of course" Victoire said in frustration, "The Ministry has fallen and nobody knows anything except for the order. That is wrong."

"No" Teddy said thoughtfully, "It's something else. Something really bad is going to happen"

"I know" she said, pushing her hair back from her forehead, "I feel it too. Do you know why Harry snapped at Kat?"

"He doesn't like her, I suppose" Teddy shrugged,

"Do you know why?" she asked,

"He doesn't trust her, it really doesn't matter, does it?" he said,

"Or he thinks she's stealing his glory and distributing his power to the other order members" Victoire said dryly,

Teddy glared at Victoire,

"How can you say that?" he said angrily, "He killed Voldemort"

"Not without the help of others" she said wisely,

"It doesn't matter. He's the leader," Teddy said stubbornly,

"There is no leader in the order, legitimately, at least. He's just the head auror, so I suppose he does have more intel" Victoire mused, "but in the end, it doesn't matter too much who is leading the order"

"What the bloody hell is your problem?" Teddy yelled, suddenly defensive.

"I don't have one" Victoire said angrily, "I'm being truthful, because I believe that what is to come will be different from all the previous wizarding wars"

"Not that different" Teddy responded in turn, "There's a bad wizard that needs to be stopped, period"

"The order will stop whatever comes at us" Victoire agreed,

"We need Harry to do it" Teddy said, "He's the only one that could possibly do what's necessary"

"We need everyone is what you mean" Victoire corrected him,

"Whatever Vic" Teddy said dismissively,

"Whatever? What do you take me for, Teddy?" Victoire said angrily,

"Nothing Vic, absolutely nothing" Teddy answered, walking out of the room.

In another part of the Burrow, there was another conversation similarly taking place, between Katarina, Dominique and the other pars of the family.

"Wow, are they still getting at it?" Dominique asked in amusement.

"It happens, I suppose" Katarina said slowly, "Normal, in most cases"

"But I don't think they realize that the whole family is still in the room and listening to them go at it" Dominique said, laughing.

Katarina laughed too, both imagining the two arguing with much vigor, as they were the type of people who tended to argue and not see anything in the surrounding areas. 

"Fleur is a bit angry at them" Bill admitted,

"Why, her favorite petit couple is having a fight in front of family of whose opinion she does genuinely care about?" Dominique asked sarcastically,

"Actually yes" Bill said gently, " Although I suppose" he continued on thoughtfully, "It could always be worse"

"How so?" Dominique asked curiously,

"Well" Bill said, "My virgin daughter could be having sex"

Dominique laughed, while Bill also chuckled, although he did seem rather serious. The yelling from upstairs got progressively louder and the rest of the family began to hear French interspersed with the voices, and rolled their eyes, understanding Fleur's intrusion to the conversation. At once, there was a door slam, and all eyes turned to the front door.

"I believe the other order members have arrived" Katarina said in a deadtone.

Bill and Dominique looked at Katarina questioningly, before the door opened and Neville Longbottom stood there, smiling at the family.

"Come on children" Molly said authoritatively, "Let's degnome the garden" she smiled at Dominique and Victoire, hugging the two-sibling close.

In the meantime, the order members assembled in the living room. Chairs were found on every possible surface, whether it be stuffed chaises, or little stools that wizards conjured up from pieces of lint on the floor.

"I was attacked last night" Neville began, noticing with relief that the other order members were nodding as well,

"As were we" Harry said, nodding to his point of the family, "And Bill was as well"

"Basically, the Ministry has fallen, in case you didn't figure that out already" Bill said, nodding to the members, "Most of our houses were placed under location wards that were set up by the Ministry, enabling them to be the primary suspect in these attacks. At the moment, we suspect that the takeover is being accomplished by covering it up."

"The main point is-" Harry cut across Bill, "We need to recruit more members"

"This will be difficult in short became nobody knows about the Ministry except for ourselves" Neville mused,

"Start with people you trust" Harry instructed,

"Do not tell anyone about the Ministry falling" Bill suggested,

"We won't" Neville said seriously,

"Then this meeting is adjourned" Harry said, effectively ending all debate on the subject.

in the living room

Dominique, Victoire and Katarina departed upstairs in the meantime, all thinking deeply on the subject of the Order's plans that they had overheard from degnoming the garden.

"That was rather uneventful" Dominique stated, "Vic" she said concernedly, "Are you alright?"

"No" Victoire said rather gloomily, "It was one of our worse fights. I just don't understand why he's so set in his thoughts" she said angrily,

"I understand" Dominique said lightly, pulling the half-Veela into the hug,

Katarina looked at her in confusion, not understanding how Dominique could comprehend a fight of this magnitude. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she cleared her throat,

"You two need some time alone" she tried to say as gently as she could, "I'll go for a run"

"It's way too dangerous for that" Dominique said, turning to face her, "You don't know what could happen"

"Nothing will happen in the daylight" Katarina said, rolling her eyes, "Plus I need some air. You know I can handle it" the unspoken question was laden in the air, but Dominique sighed,

"I mean, it's not like I could stop you" she said, but smiled, "Go ahead"

Katarina smiled, allowing Dominique to reach in and give her a peck on the cheek,

"You know that wasn't too smart" Katarina said softly, "If you do care about her"

"You know I do" Dominique said sharply, "She won't let up on me though, if I didn't. Besides, it's light outside, she'll be fine"

In the kitchen of the Burrow, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat around the round wooden table, each nursing a cup of coffee.

"I don't like Kat" Harry said moodily,

"She's not a bad person, Harry" Hermione said encouragingly, "I'm sure of it"

"I know you are suspicious of her too" he said slyly,

"I just believe she's a bit… odd" she said, blushing,

"Yeah, just like Luna, Although better looking and smarter" Ron said laughing,

Hermione glared at Ron, shutting him up effectively.

"So anyways" she said with a long-suffering sigh, "I believe she is a worthy member who should be able to speak up in Order meetings without hostility just because someone" and here Hermione glared at Harry, "doesn't like them"

"I suppose so," Harry said finally.

At last it was night. The Burrow was quiet, calm, and only the soft sounds of gnomes attempting to burrow their way back into the Weasley home were heard. The moon was high in the sky, and Katarina was missing.

"Where is Kat?" Hermione asked Dominique, who was still awake in the living room, eyes fixated on the front door, "I haven't seen her since this morning"

"She went for a run, but promised to return before nightfall" Dominique answered, sighing, "I hope she's okay"

"Guess who?" A new voice said, hiding in the shadows of the room,

Both Hermione and Dominique jumped out of their seats, each grabbing onto their wands to face at Katarina, who was laughing as she walked out of the shadow,

"Why do you always have to scare me?" Dominique complained, putting her wand down back into her pants pocket,

"Don't put your wand down" Hermione said sternly, "Kat, who.." she struggled for a question to confirm the girl's identity,

"It's okay, Auntie" Dominique said gently, "No one knows Katarina well enough to impersonate her except for me, and I'm here" she indicated her presence,

The woman slowly lowered her wand, blushing,

"Sorry Kat" she said, "It's necessary, though I suppose I really don't know enough about you to have an answer to a question only you would know"

"It's okay, Hermione" Katarina said, and turned to Dominique, "And to answer your question, Dom, I enjoy scaring people, it's generally fairly comedic. Schatten and I always try to scare each other"

"And who is usually scared in that scenario?" Hermione asked, looking quite concerned,

"Neither one of us" Katarina said nonchalantly, "My sister gets very angry when he sneaks up on her in the washroom" Hermione and Dominique's eyes widened,

"She once almost threw him out a window" Katarina continued, oblivious to the widening expressions of disbelief, "But he ran away at the last second, he's a chicken at heart" she confined in the two girls, chuckling.

Hermione pursed her lips, but said nothing, and Dominique laughed nervously, touching Katarina's face hesitantly,

"You should go bathe, Kat" she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust, "You are sweaty and you smell"

Katarina laughed, brushing up against Dominique, allowing the girl to shift away, saying "Gross" as she went,

As Katarina ambled up the stairs, Hermione turned to Dominique, "Her sister almost threw a 5ft tall wolf out of a window?" she said in disbelief,

"I suppose so" Dominique said, shrugging her shoulders, "Things could be quite different in Germany"

"Indeed" Hermione said thoughtfully, musing for a couple seconds, as Dominique stood there awkwardly,

"Well I'm going to go to bed, Auntie" she said after a moment, "See you in the morning"

"Hmmm, ok dear" Hermione said, deep in thought, not realizing as Dominique walked up the stairs.

As Dominique prepared for bed, she turned to see Katarina sitting calmly on the bed with her,

"Yes?" She asked,

"I'm sleeping with you tonight" Katarina said, letting the words slip through her lips effortlessly,

Dominique turned around sharply,

"Sleeping sleeping?" She said in surprise, "I…" she looked unsure, but Katarina overrode her thoughts,

"No, silly" she said softly, "I'm going to lie with you in this bed." She paused for some thought, "We can cuddle, talk, do whatever, though I wouldn't be opposed to kissing" she said smiling,

Dominique smiled coyly, "Neither would I"

"Good" Katarina said decisively, she lifted up the sheets and slid under them quietly, waiting for Dominique to come to bed, clothed in her nightgown.

"So…" Dominique said, turning to face Katarina under the sheets,

"I'm sorry" Katarina said quietly, "For making you worry about me today"

Dominique's face first showed a tad bit of surprise, but then a sincere smile stretched across it, not marred by the usual Veela attractiveness that came with her body.

"You don't know what that means to me, Kat" she whispered, the two snuggling together under the warm blankets, their legs tangled together, all troubles forgotten for a single moment.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter.

...and reviews are greatly appreciated :)

The next day was a normal one as far as the inhabitants of the Burrow was concerned. While the threat of the Ministry lay over all of the like a heavy stormcloud, the everyday activities that came with being at the mismatched home were more of a sense of comfort than anyone dared admit. The sounds and smells of breakfast were potent as the children and adults both trudged down to the main source of the smells, the kitchen. Molly Weasley conducted a symphony with her hands, twisting and twirling her wand to sweep over pots and pans that cooked, were warming and were pouring practical breakfast food onto the platter that was the table. The breakfast itself was also a tradition, with loud voices filling the air in the early morning, some shouting "Pass the bacon" as loud as if they were screaming over the Wizarding Wireless Network even though no one in their right mind would want to hear Celestina Warbeck this early in the morning.

"Look" Louis said, his hair tousled from sleep, "The prophet's arrived!"

Everyone looked quickly to the little boy, before Hermione cut in,

"I'll get it Louis", and picked poor Errol off of the window sill. She quickly read the front page article, gasping in surprised. She looked shocked, and placed a hand to her temple as the ramifications of the event that had just taken place fit into place.

"The library was burnt down" she said faintly,

"What are you talking about?" Ron said worriedly, looking at his wife in concern,

Hermione looked at Katarina in fascinated wonder, while Dominique just looked confused,

"What happened, Auntie?" she said, looking at her favorite aunt, "What's wrong?"

"Kat" Hermione said, "May I speak to you in the other room?"

"Why?" Harry said, "What happened?" he looked grim,

"Nothing, Harry" Hermione said softly, "Just..." she looked pained for a moment, "A runes translation I'd like Kat to check for me"

"Sure" Katarina responded, walking with Hermione into the living room.

As the two woman sat down across from each other in the room, Hermione rounded on the 15 year old,

"Did you know about this?" She said quietly but her eyes blazing in anger,

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Katarina said calmly, her eyes betraying nothing.

"That library" Hermione bit out, "The one that I was telling you about" her eyes narrowed, "It mysteriously burnt down" she looked worried,

"That's strange" Kat said pleasantly, "It's a tad bit unfortunate. Why would it burn down? And why are you telling me this now and not everyone else. It seems to me, this is not a rune translation"

"It's the one we talked about though" Hermione said insistently,

"Yes, I understand that" Katarina said irritably, "I was there. But if you're accusing me, there is no way for me to get to Egypt" She held up her hand as Hermione opened her mouth, "Furthermore, even if I did somehow make it to Egypt, it is actually physically impossible for me to get back in the amount of time you propose"

Dominique walked in, looking ruffled,

"What are you two talking about?" she said curiously, plopping down between the two tense woman, oblivious.

"I'll tell you later" Katarina promised, smiling,

"Mione" a voice was heard from the kitchen, and the taller woman sighed.

"I have to go" she said, standing and brushing off her legs, "But this discussion isn't over" and she walked out of the room with the Prophet crushed in her hand.

"So what was that about?" Dominique asked, looking at Katarina,

"She accused me of burning down the library because we happened to discuss that the book with heavily advanced runes within it is from that library and she told me yesterday" she rolled her eyes, "It's a bunch of speculation, I'll tell you that"

"You're right. I wonder why she suspects that you did something. It doesn't seem very logical"  
Dominique mused out loud,

"I don't know" Katarina admitted,

After the afternoon let on a bit, and the clouds had cleared through the sky, Dominique and Katarina walked down to the lake. There was a light breeze that allowed the air in the forest to breathe, it was, the pair decided, the perfect time to do a bit of swimming. Unfortunately, the two didn't come to this conclusion until reaching the halfway point between the lake and the Burrow.

"Should we go back for swimming suits?" Dominique asked, scratching her head awkwardly,

"No" Katarina said, "We can skinny dip"

"Skinny dip?" Dominique said, turning pink, "When we swim... without clothing on?"

"Yes" Katarina said confidently, "Unless there's another meaning of the word I don't know" she looked concerned for a moment, "Is there?"

Dominique laughed, lightening the situation,

"No, Kat" she said, "There is only one way to talk about skinny dipping"

The pair ambled down to the lake, laughing and talking about normal teenager activities, although neither of them partook in these activities. At last, however, they reached the lake. Katarina had no qualms about undressing. Without much fanfare, she took off her cloak and pants, allowing Dominique to see a few scars that lined the knee caps and calves. She continued by taking off her shirt as well, and while Katarina's stomach had few scars, as she turned to get her bra off, her back had battleworn slashes that created a criss-cross pattern. She ambled out of her underwear, turning so that Dominique only saw her back and walked swiftly into the water.

"Your turn" she called out, smiling. Dominique flushed, but similarly abandoned what little modesty she had gained throughout her lifetime and disposed of both her cloak and pants. This was followed by her shirt, bra and underwear as well. While Katarina's body had it's share of scars and stories to come with it, Dominique's body was almost a polar opposite. The absence of scars was notable, along with the somewhat silvery sheen that came with the sun beating down upon her body. She winked at Katarina from land before following her into the water, leaving ripples behind.

They swam pleasantly. At points, the pair could have been snapshots of moments in paintings, both beautiful in their own way, allowing nature to interact seamlessly with themselves. The summer air was warm as the two frolicked (to an extent), floated (just to relax), and kiss. As the afternoon carried on, it sun began to reach slightly below the tree line. Apt as they were to simply stay and exist in this moment, both walked out of the water, drying themselves with spells, strictly from Dominique's wand, and redressing.

The pair sat on the hill overlooking the Burrow, watching the commotion as the house prepared for dinner.

"I'm frightened, Kat" Dominique said, breaking the comfortable silence that they shared,

"I know you are" Katarina said, turning to look at the conflicted girl,

"Aren't you?" Dominique asked softly,

"I am" the odd girl admitted, drawing her knees up to her chest and playing with the blades of grass,

"Something will happen, won't it" Dominique continued, "Something I can't imagine, but I bet you can, and please" she said as Katarina opened her mouth, "Don't lie to me, I...I want to know"

Katarina sat for a moment, closing her mouth, "I..." and for a moment, she hesitated, her eyes flicking over the girl who had become closer than almost anyone, "I think so, yes"

"Do you think there will be another war?" Dominique asked curiously,

"I don't know" Katarina answered, "Really, I don't. I just have inklings about what will happen"

"Did you know we were going to happen?" Dominique asked, eyes downcast,

"No" Katarina said after a second, "I didn't see you" she paused, letting her eyes travel over to Dominique, "-us" and let her mouth curve into a smile. "But sometimes, it's better that way"

They both smiled, but suddenly a dagger appeared from behind the trees, appearing in from of Katarina and Dominique. Katarina jumped up instantly, faster than the blink of an eye, and protected Dominique, as the latter's eyes widened at the speed of it all. Klara emerged from the treeline, smiling at the scene presented before her.

"Hello, bisschen schwester" Klara said softly before pressing Katarina into a hug,

"What are you doing here?" Katarina said, smiling.

"I wanted to speak with you" Klara's eyes flickered to Dominique, "alone"

Katarina looked at Dominique and Klara for a moment, letting her thoughts stream outwards,

"How did you know where we were?" Dominique asked Klara curiously,

"I always know where my sister is" she answered coolly,

"Dom" Katarina asked, "Can I talk to my sister alone for a second?"

"Of course" Dominique answered, "Come get me when you're done"

She walked off towards the woods, sitting silently in a tree for a second, before opening her eyes and taking out a pair of Extendable Ears. Feeling bad for a second or two, she set the ear up, and leaned in to listen to their conversation.

"Does she know yet?" Klara asked,

"No" Katarina hesitated, "I'm worried about what she will think of me" Dominique's eyes widened, and she listened closer, determined to learn what it was Katarina was keeping from her.

"I warned you" Klara sounded frustrated, "I warned you not to become emotionally attached"

"Well what do you want me to tell you?" Katarina bit out, "I can't help it anyways, I do really care about her" she continued smiling,

"Do you think she's onto you?" Klara asked,

"Well she knows I'm keeping something from her" the younger sister said, Not that it's that difficult to figure it out, we're a very different group of people than they are. Did you know" she said, "They didn't understand when I was telling them about Schatten"

"Really?" Klara said, raising her eyebrows, "But, You can't tell her. Keep it secret for as long as you can. We need to prolong this for as long as possible"

"You do know the Ministry fell sooner than predicted" Katarina said,

"They're growing in power" Klara said solemnly, bringing a hand up to her face, "So soon"

"Johan approached me" Katarina said, "It was" she thought for a moment, "different"

"What did he want?" Klara said, her voice darkening, "And how was it 'different'?"

"He wanted to make a deal. I give him the book, and he won't kill me. So I'm giving you the book. And he didn't try to kill me" Katarina answered,

"I'll investigate and get back to you" Klara said, her eyes on the book, "Is this what I think it is?" she asked abruptly,

"I think so" Katarina said, "I recognized it at first sight"  
"Of course you did" Klara murmured, "This is precisely why I had to clear out the wizarding library"

"So it was you?" Katarina questioned, eying her sister,

"Of course, who do you take me for?" Klara said exasperatedly,

"No one at all" Katarina answered promptly,

"What do the others think of you" Klara asked softly, eyeing her sister as well, "You look well"

"They believe I have potential" Katarina admitted, "And I have been eating better, hard not to, with these people"

"I know how you spend every night training" Klara said gently, "You know you'll surpass me in no time"

"Hey" Katarina protested, "I didn't train last night"

Klara laughed, "No you did not. I have to go soon Kat" she said, sighing, "I can't stay in one place too long, they've sent at least another 5 after me"

Katarina's eyes darkened,

"How dare they!" she spit out,

"As long as it's not you" Klara said simply, "Now go find your friend"

The two sisters smiled, and hugged each other, and as Katarina went to go find Dominique, Klara smiled sadly in the distance, before disappearing silently. 


End file.
